Particularly in new democracies, building the rule of law is a key challenge. Palestine is no exception in this regard. The Palestinian security sector legislation is not yet fully developed and suffers from gaps and contradictions. Moreover, there are still multiple legal orders in place, including Ottoman, British Mandate, Jordanian and Egyptian legislation. Above anything else, Palestinians are still under Israeli occupation. It is hoped that this manual will make a contribution to enhancing the rule of law despite the political, legal and social challenges that the Palestinian people are facing.

The Manual for Palestinian Law Enforcement Officers has two aims.

1. the manual is a practical reference for law enforcement officers, intended to help them in their daily work. It includes the basic elements of the Palestinian constitutional order, the rights and duties of law enforcement officers, as well as the functions and competencies of law enforcement officers during the criminal justice process.
2. the manual can be used as a training tool for Palestinian law enforcement officers, whether during basic or specialized training. The manual therefore includes international legal standards and good practice in the rule of law. By this, the Manual for Palestinian Law Enforcement Officers hopes to make a useful contribution to developing the rule of law in Palestine.

The Manual is intended as a reference document for all law enforcement officers and in particular those tasked with judicial duties. It may also be used as a reference by representatives of the General Prosecution and the Military Prosecution. Secondly, it may be used by those responsible for training, whether at the ministerial level, at the level of police and security forces, or at the level of the prosecution bodies.