Palestine: technology regulation at a glance

Framework: Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA); no dedicated crypto/digital-asset law. Broader financial governance: Decree-Law No. 39 of 2022 (AML/CFT), Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 (National Payments), Decree-Law No. 4 of 2026 (Cash Reduction). Paris Protocol (1994) constrains monetary sovereignty.

Palestine has no dedicated legal framework governing cryptocurrencies or digital assets. The Palestinian Monetary Authority (PMA) has issued cautionary guidance discouraging public use of crypto, citing volatility, fraud risk, and absence of legal recourse, but has not enacted a formal ban. Crypto is neither explicitly legal tender nor formally prohibited; it circulates informally, primarily for remittances and aid transfers, in the context of severe banking-sector constraints.

Framework: Palestinian National Strategy for Artificial Intelligence (2023), led by the Ministry of Telecommunications and Digital Economy; non-binding strategy and responsible-AI principles rather than enacted AI legislation.

The State of Palestine has no comprehensive AI law. Its governance rests on a National AI Strategy launched in 2023, prepared by a national AI team formed by the Council of Ministers in 2021, which sets out plans for AI adoption, sectoral applications, capacity building and a future ethical/legal framework. A dedicated AI statute and a supporting personal-data-protection law remain at the strategy or draft stage and are not yet in force.

Framework: No comprehensive personal-data-protection law in force. A 'Personal Data Protection Law by Decree' has been in draft since a committee was formed in 2016; the version under review (third reading) is dated 15 June 2022 and has not been enacted. In the interim, privacy is protected constitutionally by Article 32 of the 2003 Amended Basic Law and partially via the 2018 Cybercrime Law by Decree (No. 10 of 2018).

The State of Palestine has no comprehensive, GDPR-style data-protection statute in force; the right to privacy rests on Article 32 of the 2003 Amended Basic Law and Palestine's accession to the ICCPR. A dedicated Personal Data Protection Law by Decree has been drafted since 2016, with its third reading dated 15 June 2022, but remains stuck in cabinet/ministerial review and has not been issued. No independent data-protection supervisory authority currently exists.

Framework: Palestine Monetary Authority (PMA) under Decree-Law No. 41 of 2022 on National Payments, complemented by PMA e-payment/e-money instructions (since 2020), the RTGS 'Buraq' and instant-payment 'iBuraq' systems, and a regulatory sandbox.

Digital payments and fintech in Palestine are licensed and supervised by the Palestine Monetary Authority. A dedicated National Payments decree-law (No. 41 of 2022) governs payment service providers and electronic settlement, with PMA instructions covering e-wallets, prepaid cards and e-money; the PMA has licensed multiple PSPs and operates RTGS (Buraq) and an instant-payment rail (iBuraq, 2024). Open banking and BNPL are not yet covered by distinct, published frameworks.

Framework: No Palestinian Authority visa regime; foreigner entry/residence to the West Bank is governed by the Israeli military's COGAT 'Procedure for Entry and Residence of Foreigners in the Judea and Samaria Area' (in force as a pilot from 2022). Gaza access is separately controlled by Israel/Egypt.

Palestine has no digital-nomad or remote-work visa and no residency-by-investment program. The Palestinian Authority does not issue visas of its own; entry, long-stay and any residency in the West Bank are controlled by Israel, which permits foreigners only in narrow, quota-limited categories (close relatives of Palestinians, approved academics/students, and 'experts/consultants in unique disciplines'). Remote workers and general relocators have no clear pathway, and tourist-visa holders are explicitly barred from working, studying, volunteering or living there.

Framework: Law by Decree No. 10 of 2018 on Cybercrime (amended by Law by Decree No. 28 of 2020); enforced by the Public Prosecution/Attorney General and a specialized Cybercrime Unit. Telecommunications infrastructure and spectrum remain under Israeli control per the Oslo Accords.

The Palestinian Authority regulates online content primarily through the 2018 Cybercrime Law by Decree, which is widely criticized for using overbroad terms ("national security," "public order," "public morals") to criminalize online expression and authorize the blocking of websites. There is no modern, rights-based online-safety regime comparable to the EU DSA or UK OSA, no specific age-verification framework, and platform liability is addressed mainly through criminal prohibitions and blocking powers rather than a regulatory duty-of-care model. In practice the law has been used to block dozens of news and opposition websites, and the underlying telecom infrastructure is heavily constrained by Israeli control.

Framework: Law by Decree No. 10 of 2018 on Cybercrime (amended by Law by Decree No. 28 of 2020), issued by presidential decree; no comprehensive (NIS2-style) cybersecurity law or general personal-data-protection law is yet in force.

Palestine has no comprehensive cybersecurity law or cross-sector breach-notification regime. The principal in-force instrument is the 2018 Cybercrime Law by Decree (amended 2020), a criminal statute that creates cybercrime offences, a specialised cybercrime police unit, and security/cooperation obligations targeted at telecommunications and internet service providers (data retention, assistance, and notification to the competent authority). A comprehensive personal-data-protection law exists only in draft form and has not been enacted.

Framework: Companies Law No. 42 of 2021 (in force April 2022), administered by the Companies Controller/Comptroller (Companies Control Department) at the Ministry of National Economy (MoNE); investment incentives under the Investment Promotion Law via the Palestinian Investment Promotion Agency (PIPA).

The 2021 Companies Law modernized Palestine's company regime, allowing up to 100% foreign ownership, eliminating prior foreign-equity caps and local-partner requirements, and removing minimum paid-in capital. Formation of an LLC or general company is now relatively streamlined (name reservation, bylaws, registration with the Companies Controller at MoNE, then tax, chamber and municipal registration) and typically takes about two weeks. However, real-world ease is constrained by the occupation, movement/access restrictions, divergent administration between the West Bank and Gaza, and the ongoing conflict in Gaza.