Prof. Dr. Mustafa Abdelbaqi

Palestinian professor of law with nearly thirty years of experience in law teaching, strategical planning, training, project management, providing expert advice and assistance on legislative drafting and administrative reforms. Serves as the director of the PhD Program in Law at Birzeit University. Formerly served as the head of the Department of Law at Birzeit University, the head of the judicial training and legal education component at USAID, during which many training programs were offered for the benefit of the judges, public prosecutors and support staff, in addition to training students of different law schools on moot courts and legal clinics. In another capacity has participated in developing the curricula of the Palestinian Law Schools and Judicial Institute. In several other capacities, has led research teams and authored numerous books and manuals.

There is a big debate in the Islamic jurisprudence on the equality of the norms of Diya and Irsh penalties. i.e. whether men and women, Muslims and non-Muslims are equal in inflicting the punishments of Diya and Irsh? Does the woman’s and non-Muslim’s life less worthy than a man’s and Muslim’s by making their blood money half that of a man’s and a Muslim’s respectively? 

On the other hand, there is another debate whether Sharia was changed during the British colonialism to Palestine? If yes, how? Who in the colonial administration introduced which changes? Which type and level of Palestinian (Muslim, Christian and Jewish) legal scholars and practitioners were involved in this process and which arguments were brought forward?

• 2025. Abdelbaqi, Mustafa, Israel's Crimes Against the Palestinian People: From Racial Discrimination to Genocide, Journal of Palestine Studies.
• 2025.__, Criminal Confrontation of the Phenomenon of Bullying in the Palestinian Legal System, UAEU Law Journal (with Deyaa Awwad).
• 2025.__, Governing Values of Artificial Intelligence: Towards an Ethical Artificial Intelligence, UAEU Law Journal (with Luna Al Hamed).
• 2025.__, Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons: a constant violation of rights, Dirasat Journal, Jordan University, Amman, Jordan. (with Emad Rabaa).
• 2024.__, The genocide of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip: a flagrant violation of international law, Kuwait Law Review, Kuwait University, Kuwait (with Renad Batash).
• 2024.__, Effectiveness of the Palestinian Civil Police’s Accountability and Complaint System, Dirasat Journal, Jordan University, Amman, Jordan.
• 2024.__Criminal Liability for Artificial Intelligence Applications in the Palestinian and Kuwaiti Legal Systems, Kuwait Law Review, Kuwait University, Kuwait (with Deyaa Awad).
• 2023.__, Accountability Strategic Plan of the Palestinian Civil Police (2023-2027), PCP & UNDP.
• 2023.__, Tribal Justice as an Islamic Means of Conflict Resolution in Palestine, UAEU Law Journal, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
• 2023.__, Subordination of the Civil Case to the Criminal Case before the Palestinian Criminal Courts, Journal of Law and Economy, Cairo University, Egypt.
• 2023.__, The Relationship of Money Laundering Crime with the Original Crime in the Palestinian and Kuwaiti Legislation (Comparative Study), Kuwait International Law School Journal, Kuwait (with Abrar Asi).
• 2023.__, The Role of the Palestinian Banks in Combating the Crime of Money Laundering under the Israeli Occupation, International Journal of Law, Qatar University, Qatar (with Alaa Srour).
• 2022.__, Co-author of report on “the Palestinian justice system environment: an analysis from the perspective of EU support, DAI, European Union.
• 2022.__, Manual on Enforcement of Judgments, Public Prosecution, Ramallah, Palestine.
• 2021.__, Needs of Women in the Sharia Courts, Ministry of Women Affairs, Ramallah, Palestine.
• 2021.__, Obstacles to Women’s Access to Justice in Palestine (Sharia Courts as a Model), Journal of Law, Sharjah University, UAE.
• 2021.__, Plea Bargaining and its Applicability in Palestine and Qatar, International Journal of Law, Qatar University, Qatar.
• 2020.__, Participated in drafting a report on “Assessment of Corruption Risk Factors in the Palestinian Judiciary, EU/CoE Joint Programme “Regional Support to Reinforce Human Rights, Rule of Law and Democracy in the Southern Mediterranean”.
• 2020.__, Manual on the SOPs adopted by the Inspection Department at the Sharia Courts, Chief Justice Department, Ramallah, Palestine.
• 2020.__, Bylaw of the Inspection Department at Sharia Courts, Chief Justice Department, Ramallah, Palestine.