The Regime's Violation of the Right to Property in the West Bank, Palestine: Rawabi Project as a Case Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.31078/consrev616Keywords:
Palestinian Constitutional Court, Rawabi Project, Right to Property, West BankAbstract
The purpose of this paper is to assess the Palestinian Constitutional Court's reasoning of its judgment in Rawabi Case, a case in which the Government's expropriation of a large area of privately-owned land was challenged before the Court. The expropriation was to transfer the ownership of that land to Bayti Real Estate Investment Company, a private company that later on built the first planned city in Palestine: Rawabi. This paper explains what implications the judgment in this case has on the relationship between the regime and other major private investors in the West Bank. The paper starts with explaining how some constitutional courts perform the function of providing credible commitments in the economic sphere, where such courts are situated in authoritarian settings. Then, it moves to the specific case of Rawabi, explaining the facts of the case and describing Rawabi's connections to the regime's interests. The paper concludes that the Constitutional Court has failed to perform its main function of upholding the Palestinian Basic Law and, in particular, protecting the right to property for the owners of the expropriated lands.References
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Kim, Iijoong and Lee H. "Constitutional Principles of Regulatory Takings: A Utilitarian Perspective." 26 Supreme Court Economic Review 81 (2018).
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M, Karolina. "Protection of Private Property Expropriation." The Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala School of Finance and Law 35 (2018).
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O'Connell, Paul. "The Death of Socio-Economic Rights." Modern Law Review 74, no. 4 (2011): 532.
Pieterse, Marius. "Beyond the Welfare State: Globalisation of Neo-Liberal Culture and the Constitutional Protection of Social and Economic Rights in South Africa." Stellenbosch Law Review 3, no.1 (2003).
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Saliman, Abd Al-Aziz. "Comment on SCC Judgment in Case No. 6 of the Year 2012." "Justice and Law" 20 (July 2013): 181.
Solomon, Peter. "Law and Courts in Authoritarian States". In International Encyclopaedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences. Oxford, Elsevier, 2nd edition, Vol. 13.
Solomon, Peter. "Judicial Power in Authoritarian States: the Russian experience." In Rule by Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. 2008.
Sitaraman, Ganesh. "The Puzzling Absence of Economic Power in Constitutional Theory." 101 Cornell Law Review (2016): 1445.
Ssenyonjo, Manisuli, "The Influence of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa, The Influence of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa." Netherlands International Law Review 64 (2017): 259-289.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 1-2006, 1. A full translation of the Court's judgment in this case is available at: http://muqtafi.birzeit.edu/en/courtjudgments/ShowDoc.aspx?ID=52112.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 12-2016.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 6-2012.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 1-2006.
The Palestinian Legislative Council: Rules of Procedure," http://muqtafi.birzeit.edu/Legislation/GetLegFT.aspx?LegPath=2000&MID=14227.
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Un, Kheang. "The Judicial System and Democratization in Post-Conflict Cambodia." In Beyond democracy in Cambodia, edited by Joakim Ojendaland Mona Lilja. Nias Press, 2009.
Vila, Igor. "Constitutional Court Protection of Economic and Social Rights During the Economic Crisis." Pravni Zapisi 66, no. 1 (2014).
Weingast, Barry R. "The Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Development." Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization 11, no. 1 (April 1995).
Zangl, Bernhard. "Judicialization Matters! A Comparison of Dispute Settlement under GATT and the WTO." International Studies Quarterly 52, no. 4 (2008).
"About Bayti." 2008. http://www.rawabi.ps/bayti/about_bayti.php.
Abrams, Elliot. "Rawabi: The New City in The Palestinian Territories." Council on Foreign Relations, 2016, https://www.cfr.org/blog/rawabi-new-city-palestinianterritories.
Abu Sawi, Mahmoud. " The Judicial Review of Laws' Constitutionality in Palestine." The Arab Association of Constitutional Law, 2009.
Abu Amer, Adnan. "Dahlan Encouraged to Form Palestinian Party Outside Fatah." Al-Monitor, 2018. https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2018/03/uaerequest-dahlan-form-new-party-dissociated-from-fatah.html.
Abu-Hanood, Hussain, Sami Jabarin and Tariq Toukan, "Legal Readings in Decrees-by-Law Issued by the President in States of Necessity." The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy - MIFTAH, 2008.
Alemahu, Sisay. "The Constitutional Protection of Economic and Social Rights in the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia." Journal of Ethiopian Law 135, no. 2 (2008).
Al-Kailany, Zeed. "Appealing in the Constitutionality of the Laws: Comparative Study." Master of Public Law Thesis, An-Najah University, 2012.
Al-Laham, Mohammad. "Decrees-by-Law Issued by the President and Their Legal Impact]." Masters in Law Thesis, The Islamic University - Gaza, 2015.
Al-Turkomaniy, Omar Hamzah. "the Constitutional Judiciary in Palestine According to the Supreme Constitutional Court Act No. 3 of 2006." Master of Public Law Thesis, Al-Azhar University, 2010.
Ashok, Kritika, Paul T. Babie and John V. Orth. "Balancing Justice Needs and Private Property in Constitutional Takings Provisions: A Comparative Assessment of India, Australia, And The United States." Fordham International Law Journal 42, no. 4 (2019): 999.
Awad, Al-Mur. Judicial Review of the Constitutionality of Laws in its Primary Features. Cairo: 2003, 307.
Awawda, Osayd. "Armed Resistance in Gaza Strip against Israeli Occupation: Legitimate Requirement to Achieve Self-Determination." IUP Journal of International Relations 12, no. 1, (2018).
Awawda, Osayd. "Funding Palestinian NGOs: A Trojan Horse against Liberation?" IUP Journal of International Relations 12, no. 3 (2018).
Awawda, Osayd, "Palestinian Workers in Israeli Settlements: Their Status and Rights." IUP Journal of International Relations 12, no. 2 (2018).
Awawda, Osayd, "Reforming the Indirect Tax Sector in Palestine: Justifications and Avenues." IUP Journal of International Relations 13, no. 2 (2019).
Baynard,JM. "Private or Public Right? Who Should Adjudicate Patentability Disputes and is the Current Scheme Really Constitutional?" 21 Marquette Intellectual Property Law Review 57 (2017).
Bdair, Newar and Asem Khalil. "State of Necessity." Working Paper, Constitutional Law Unit, Faculty of Law and Public Administration, Birzeit University, 2018.
Boyle, Katie and Edel Hughes. "Identifying Routes to Remedy for Violations of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights." International Journal of Human Rights 22, no. 1 (2018): 43.
Brizeit University, Institute of Law. "Civil and Commercial Procedure Law No. 2 of 2001 (Palestine)." http://muqtafi.birzeit.edu/en/Legislation/GetLegFT.aspx?LegPath=2001&MID=13849.
Cassola, Adèle, Amy Raub and Jody Heymann. "Do Constitutions Guarantee Equal Rights across Socioeconomic Status? A Half Century of Change in the World's Constitutions." Journal of International & Comparative Social Policy 32, no. 3 (2016): 235.
Chirwa, Danwood Mzikenge. "A Full Loaf Is Better Than Half: The Constitutional Protection of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Malawi." Journal of African Law 2 (2005): 207.
Chitimira, Howard. "An Analysis of Socio-Economic and Cultural Rights Protection under the Zimbabwe Constitution of 2013." Journal of African Law 2 (2017):171.
Court of Corruption Crimes (Palestine), No. 22-2014.
Dickinson, Gerald S. "Federalism, Convergence, and Divergence in Constitutional Property." University of Miami Law Review 73 (2018): 139.
Dirbas, Abeer. "Judicial Review of Constitutionality in Palestine." In 2007-2012
"the Legislative Status in Palestine 2007-2012." Institute of Law - Birzeit University, 2012.
Dissident Opinion of Chief Justice Hammad, and Judges Gizlan, Nasirudeen, Takrory, and Tanjeer. "Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court" No. 1-2006." Fathi, Fikry, "A Commentary to the SCC Judgment in Case No. 6 of the Year 2012." Justice and Law Journal, Palestine.
Fathi, Fikry. "Comment on SCC Judgment in Case No. 6 of the Year 2012." "Justice and Law" 20 (July 2013): 171.
Felipe Oliveira De Santos, Pedro. "Beyond Minimalism and Usurpation: Designing Judicial Review to Control the Mis-Enforcement of Socio-Economic Rights." Washington University Global Studies Law Review 2 (2019): 493.
Ginsburg, Tom and Tamir Moustafa. Rule by Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. Cambridge University Press, 2008.
Hailes, Oliver. "The Politics of Property in Constitutional Reform: A Critical Response to Sir Geoffrey and Dr Butler." New Zealand Journal of Public and International Law 15, no. 2 (2017): 229.
Jabbar, Ramy, "Qatar Funds Rawabi, New-Look Palestinian City." Al-Monitor, 2015, http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/culture/2014/02/rawabi-revolutionpalestine-clans-family-units.html#ixzz4wgLRkpvw.
Kim, Iijoong and Lee H. "Constitutional Principles of Regulatory Takings: A Utilitarian Perspective." 26 Supreme Court Economic Review 81 (2018).
Leijten, Ingrid. Core Socio-Economic Rights and the European Court of Human Rights, Cambridge Studies in European Law and Policy. Cambridge University Press: 2018.
Jensen, Nathan. "Political risk, democratic institutions, and foreign direct investment." The Journal of Politics 70, no. 4 (2008).
JMCC. "Presidential Decrees Issued on June – July 2007." 2016, Internet Archive https://web.archive.org/web/20071012102508/http://jmcc.org/goodgovern/07/eng/presidentdecrees07.htm.
Stephenson, Matthew. "Judicial reform in developing economies: Constraints and opportunities." In Annual World Bank Conference on Development Economics-Regional 2007: Beyond Transition, 2007.
M, Karolina. "Protection of Private Property Expropriation." The Scientific Journal of Bielsko-Biala School of Finance and Law 35 (2018).
Mc Dougall, Daniel. "The Vibe of the Thing': Implementing Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in New Zealand." Mata Koi: Auckland University Law Review 21 (2015): 86.
Middle East Eye. "Exiled Abbas rival sentenced to three years in absentia over corruption." 2016. http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/exiled-abbas-rivalsentenced-three-years-absentia-over-corruption-1844523482.
Middle East Eye. "Palestine to Seek Dahlan's Arrest through Interpol, Officials Say." 2017. http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/palestine-seek-dahlans-arrestthrough-interpol-officials-say-23623380.
Monebhurrun, N. "Chronicles of International Investment Law." Brazilian Journal of International Law 33 (2015).
Nusūr, Fahid Abū al-Athm. "Constitutional Judiciary: Between Theory and Practice." Dar Al-Thaqafah, 2016, 419.
O'Connell, Paul. "The Death of Socio-Economic Rights." Modern Law Review 74, no. 4 (2011): 532.
Pieterse, Marius. "Beyond the Welfare State: Globalisation of Neo-Liberal Culture and the Constitutional Protection of Social and Economic Rights in South Africa." Stellenbosch Law Review 3, no.1 (2003).
Reuters. "Timeline: Key events since 2006 Hamas Election Victory." 20 June 2007, http://www.reuters.com/article/us-palestinians-timelineidUSL1752364420070620.
Saliman, Abd Al-Aziz. "Comment on SCC Judgment in Case No. 6 of the Year 2012." "Justice and Law" 20 (July 2013): 181.
Solomon, Peter. "Law and Courts in Authoritarian States". In International Encyclopaedia of the Social & Behavioural Sciences. Oxford, Elsevier, 2nd edition, Vol. 13.
Solomon, Peter. "Judicial Power in Authoritarian States: the Russian experience." In Rule by Law: The Politics of Courts in Authoritarian Regimes. 2008.
Sitaraman, Ganesh. "The Puzzling Absence of Economic Power in Constitutional Theory." 101 Cornell Law Review (2016): 1445.
Ssenyonjo, Manisuli, "The Influence of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa, The Influence of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa." Netherlands International Law Review 64 (2017): 259-289.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 1-2006, 1. A full translation of the Court's judgment in this case is available at: http://muqtafi.birzeit.edu/en/courtjudgments/ShowDoc.aspx?ID=52112.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 12-2016.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 6-2012.
Supreme Court of Palestine in its capacity of a Constitutional Court, No. 1-2006.
The Palestinian Legislative Council: Rules of Procedure," http://muqtafi.birzeit.edu/Legislation/GetLegFT.aspx?LegPath=2000&MID=14227.
The Palestinian High Court of Justice," No. 230-2014.
Un, Kheang. "The Judicial System and Democratization in Post-Conflict Cambodia." In Beyond democracy in Cambodia, edited by Joakim Ojendaland Mona Lilja. Nias Press, 2009.
Vila, Igor. "Constitutional Court Protection of Economic and Social Rights During the Economic Crisis." Pravni Zapisi 66, no. 1 (2014).
Weingast, Barry R. "The Economic Role of Political Institutions: Market-Preserving Federalism and Economic Development." Journal of Law, Economics, & Organization 11, no. 1 (April 1995).
Zangl, Bernhard. "Judicialization Matters! A Comparison of Dispute Settlement under GATT and the WTO." International Studies Quarterly 52, no. 4 (2008).
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Awawda, O. (2020). The Regime’s Violation of the Right to Property in the West Bank, Palestine: Rawabi Project as a Case Study. Constitutional Review, 6(1), 166–189. https://doi.org/10.31078/consrev616
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