The High Judicial Council Issues Statement on the Obstruction of Judicial Operations by the Israeli Occupation
The High Judicial Council issued a clarifying statement regarding the Israeli occupation’s obstruction of judicial operations in Palestine, particularly the daily incursions into the northern governorates of the West Bank and the direct targeting of judicial facilities by the occupation forces.
The number of postponed cases in the Jenin and Tulkarm Courts of First Instance has reached 8,092 cases, while 19,593 cases have been delayed in the Jenin, Tulkarm, and Tubas Magistrate's Courts. In addition, 4,951 settlement cases and petitions have been postponed. This is aside from tens of thousands of enforcement lawsuits whose execution has been hindered due to the need for police support, which has become unavailable.
Cases involving juveniles, which the High Judicial Council accords special attention to due to their unique nature and the specific Juvenile Law governing them—viewing juvenile cases as a means of rehabilitation rather than punishment—have also been affected. A total of 600 juvenile cases have been postponed in the aforementioned courts, impacting the guarantees provided by international law for juveniles, most notably their right to prompt and effective access to justice.
A total of 52,347 citizens involved in these cases have been directly impacted between January 30, 2025, and April 10, 2025, based on official statistics. Since the beginning of the aggression against northern cities, the number of affected individuals has risen to 66,334 citizens, with a total of 36,223 postponed cases.
It is noteworthy that the Jenin and Tulkarm Courts have been operating at a minimum capacity due to the dangerous security situation imposed by the incursions, coupled with the widespread destruction in both cities. This destruction has affected parts of the courthouse buildings, including the demolition of the entrance to the Tulkarm Court by Israeli bulldozers and significant damage to the façade of the Jenin Court caused by indiscriminate gunfire, which heavily damaged its walls and windows. Both courthouses are situated along the routes used by occupation vehicles during their incursions into and withdrawals from the cities and refugee camps.
In the Tubas Magistrate’s Court, despite the frequent incursions into Tubas city, the severing of road links to the rest of the governorate—including parts of the northern Jordan Valley—and the presence of two military checkpoints, one of which (Tayasir) has been completely closed, and the other (Hamra) poses great hardship for court process servers, staff, and litigants. Crossing these checkpoints involves severe delays, often lasting hours, leading to missed court appointments and prolonged legal proceedings due to absences, particularly as some villages and communities lie beyond these permanently closed and obstructed checkpoints.
In other courts across the northern governorates (West Bank governorates), citizens, judges, and court administrative staff are facing significant challenges in reaching the courthouses due to the numerous military checkpoints. Their safety is constantly at risk, with incidents of judges being stopped at these checkpoints, their vehicles and briefcases—containing sensitive case files—being searched. Additionally, several judges' homes have been directly targeted by Israeli occupation forces.