Online safety & content laws in Palestine (2026)
Online safety rules in Palestine: heavy restriction.
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.
Legal 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.
Key points: internet & online safety in Palestine
Primary law
Law by Decree No. 10 of 2018 on Cybercrime (replacing the heavily criticized 2017 Decree No. 16) is the governing instrument; it was enacted by presidential decree without Legislative Council approval and was later amended by Decree No. 28 of 2020.
Website blocking power
Article 39 lets investigative authorities request that the Attorney General seek a Magistrate Court order to block any website (inside or outside Palestine) deemed to threaten national security, public order or public morals; orders run for 6 renewable months.
Blocking in practice
On 17 October 2019 the Ramallah Magistrate Court ordered 59 websites blocked at once; the PA has a documented history of blocking news and opposition sites critical of the leadership, drawing criticism from Palestinian and international rights groups.
Criminalization of expression
The law criminalizes broadly-defined online conduct and re-disseminating content from blocked sites (penalties include imprisonment and fines in Jordanian dinars); the UN Special Rapporteur and HRW warned its vague terms enable criminalizing opinion and curb privacy and free expression.
No DSA-style safety/age-verification regime
There is no comprehensive platform duty-of-care, systemic-risk, or statutory age-verification framework; online safety is handled through criminal-law prohibitions and court-ordered blocking rather than a dedicated online-safety regulator.
Infrastructure under Israeli control
Under Oslo-era arrangements, radio spectrum needs Israeli approval; Gaza is limited to 2G and the West Bank only received 4G authorization in January 2026, while Israeli operations destroyed much of Gaza's telecom infrastructure during the 2023-2024 war.
Sources
- security-legislation.ps/latest-laws/law-by-decree-no-10-of-2018-on-cybercrime/
- security-legislation.ps/latest-laws/law-by-decree-no-28-of-2020-concerning-the-amendment-of-t
- alhaq.org/advocacy/16110.html
- pchrgaza.org/blocking-websites-violates-international-standards-and-should-be-retr
- hrw.org/news/2017/12/20/palestine-reform-restrictive-cybercrime-law
- arab-reform.net/publication/policing-the-digital-sphere-the-impact-of-palestines-cybe
- kurdi.law/cybersecurity-laws-in-palestine/
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_in_Palestine
- timesofisrael.com/israel-grants-4g-access-to-palestinian-west-bank-cell-companies-after
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Next topicOrientation, not legal advice: verify against the primary sources linked above. Last verified 24 May 2026. Methodology & how to cite · State of Technology Regulation 2026