المسودة الثالثة المنقحة لدستور دولة فلسطين
Palestinian Constitution Third Draft
March 26, 2003
PREFACE
The executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organization, having renewed
the instructions of the Palestinian National Council for the establishment of a special
committee to prepare the Constitution of the State of Palestine, the Constitution
Committee has proceeded to accomplish what had been initiated in 1999.
After great effort, with over two hundred meetings, workshops and discussions, the
committee for the preparation of the Constitution, in cooperation with the civil
society, academics and politicians, had achieved by the end of December 2000 the
first draft of the Constitutional project of the State of Palestine. It was published in
February 2001.
This is the third draft, which has been compiled by amending and reformulating the
first and the second draft, having taken into consideration comments and suggestions
from Palestinian, Arab and international legal experts, in addition to academics and
personalities from the civil society in Palestine and the Diaspora.
This third draft will be widely distributed to enable a greater number of persons to
study it and participate in improving the drafting thereof by suggesting amendments,
deletions or additions to obtain a valid draft that would be presented to the Palestinian
Central Council when conditions will enable it to convene
This draft was submitted and expounded to the Palestinian Central Committee on
March 9 2003. In response to the queries of the participants, Dr. Nabeel Sha’ath, head
of the drafting committee gave complete clarification. The Council approved the draft
and voiced appreciation for the work of the committee, its experts and advisors. It
extended gratitude to the personalities and countries that participated in support of this
project and effort. It advised the committee to pursue its work and discuss with the
legal committee of the Central Council and other committees to discuss this draft in
view of its final discussion and approval at the next Central Committee meeting.