The legal system in Palestine is diverse, involving a variety of laws, from several sources that are at times integrated and at times in conflict. The system is a product and mix of all of Palestine's occupiers. Including Ottoman, British, Israeli, Jordanian (West Bank) and Egyptian (Gaza). Under the Oslo Agreements, based on the Protocol on Civil Issues, the Palestinian Authority has the ability to pass laws related to civil matters within areas designated A and B. Under this system, no laws on environment or resource management have been passed to date (Qubba’h, 1998).
The nearest thing that PA has to a constitution or legal framework at present, are the Oslo Agreements and the Palestinian Environmental Law currently being ratified and approved. The Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement (Oslo II) includes several issues related to environment. Specifically, Annex 3 "Protocol on Civil Issues" Appendix I, Article 12 Environmental Protection states:
Paragraph 14:
"Israel and the Palestinian side shall co-operate in implementing principles and standards, which shall conform with internationally accepted principles and standards, concerning the protection or endangered species of wild fauna and flora, including restriction of trade, conservation of migratory species of wildlife and preservation of existing forests and nature reserves."
Paragraph 17:
Obliges both sides to promote public awareness on environmental issues.
Article 14
Paragraph 1:
Calls for the "formation, management, monitoring, protection and preservation of all forests (cultivated and non cultivated."
Paragraph 3
Commits the PA to "protect and preserve all forest in the West Bank and The Gaza Strip (… and to take…) all necessary action to ensure their protection and preservation from any harm…"
Paragraph 4:
Includes the "right of planting new forest (…) for the protection of soil erosion and desertification and for the improvement of landscapes…"
Article 25 Nature Reserves, paragraph 5 & 6
"The two sides shall each take appropriate measures in order to protect Nature Reserves, Protected Natural Assets and species of animals, plants and flowers of special breeds…”
"Each side shall enforce, within the area under its responsibility, the regulations pertaining to hunting, and in particular the prohibition on hunting of protected and endangered species." (MOPIC, 1996)
What is interesting about the wording of the Oslo (2) Agreement is the repeated reference to internationally recognised standards. The PA is bound to implement the Agreement and thus the international standards should act as framework or base (Lex generali) for environmental law in Palestine.