A joint force of the Israel Police and Shin Bet raided the Jerusalem branch of the Palestinian Bar Association in Beit Hanina on Saturday, July 5, 2025, during an election day for the association
The polling station was shut down, and those present were summoned for interrogation the next day at the headquarters of the Jerusalem District Police in the Russian Compound. The official justification: under the 1993 Oslo Accords, Palestinians are prohibited from holding governmental or electoral activity in Jerusalem
The raid in Beit Hanina
According to Palestinian sources, Israeli forces surrounded the building during the elections, then stormed inside, confiscated ID cards from all present, and documented their personal details. Fifteen lawyers and officials who were there were summoned for questioning in Room No. 4 — a facility used for security interrogations
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The central election committee of the Palestinian Bar Association later announced the closure of the Jerusalem polling center, located in the professional unions’ complex in Beit Hanina. It stated that "unique circumstances on the ground, beyond the control of the election committee, prevented the continuation of the electoral process at this center and forced its closure
The committee called on lawyers who could not vote in Jerusalem to cast their ballots in Ramallah or other approved polling stations in northern districts of the Palestinian Authority
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Palestinian lawyers, Midhat Deebeh and Hamzeh Qateenah, who represent the detainees, stated that the interrogations were “completely unjustified” and aimed at “restricting the professional and union activities of Palestinian lawyers in Jerusalem
The Palestinian Bar Association (PBA) is the official legal body representing Palestinian lawyers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Established in 1997 after the Oslo Accords and the creation of the Palestinian Authority, the association inherited the legal structures formerly under Jordanian (West Bank) and Egyptian (Gaza) control prior to the 1967 war
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The PBA operates under Palestinian law, with an elected council, president, vice president, and specialized committees overseeing ethics, professional training, and human rights
Israel regards the association — like all Palestinian labor unions — as a form of prohibited governmental activity in Jerusalem. Under the Oslo Accords, such political or organizational activity by Palestinian institutions is banned in the city. These agreements, signed between Israel and the PLO from 1993–1995, were meant to regulate relations between the sides during the peace process
