Many Palestinian citizens and journalists consider that the current laws applicable in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip do not provide sufficient guarantees for the freedom of press, expression and opinion. One of the main problems in this regard is the absence of a Palestinian access to information law. During the months of November and December 2012, a committee of four Palestinian legal experts revised and amended the existing Palestinian Draft Law on the Right to Access Information (2005). The committee was established by the Palestinian Center for Development and Media Freedoms (MADA). It benefited from DCAF’s financial and conceptual support.

This publication builds upon the findings of a previous DCAF-MADA Working Paper (2012). It presents the amended Palestinian Law on the Right to Access Information and its main components. It has been used by Palestinian media rights and civil society representatives to raise decision-makers’ awareness of the importance of enacting access to information legislation in the Palestinian territories.