Quarterly Report #4: Palestinian Justice Enhancement Program

During the third quarter, PJEP contributed to this goal through targeted assistance to justice institutions, legal professionals, civil society, and the public. PJEP completed furniture upgrades to the Ramallah Court of Appeals, enhancing the court's facilities and services to the public. The program also identified the Tubas Conciliation Court as a priority for assistance, with plans to renovate the courthouse and provide IT equipment. Additionally, PJEP procured and delivered IT equipment and furniture to the Justice Information Center, Legal Affairs Department, and Palestinian Judicial Institute, which are now housed in the new Ministry of Justice space in Ramallah. Training was a major focus for PJEP during the third quarter. The program completed a "short film editing" training for Ministry of Justice and High Judicial Council media staff, enabling them to receive hands-on training in film editing. PJEP also coordinated keyboarding training for Ministry of Justice and High Judicial Council staff in Hebron, Tulkram, Nablus, and Ramallah, as well as English language training for senior-level administrators for Ministry of Justice, High Judicial Council, and Palestinian Judicial Institute staff. PJEP supported the expansion of the new Ministry of Justice space in Ramallah, procuring and delivering IT equipment and furniture to the various institutions housed there. The program also facilitated coordination between Palestinian and Israeli Joint Legal Committee counterparts regarding permit requests for Palestinian justice sector officials from Gaza and meetings to discuss ways to strengthen the work of the Joint Legal Committee. To strengthen the Palestinian Judicial Institute, PJEP assisted in developing the Diploma Judicial Studies program and provided upgrades to the institute's training halls and PC lab. The program also developed a training evaluation manual and drafted training materials for the Training of Trainers program. A significant accomplishment during the third quarter was the completion of a five-day land settlement law training program for 17 First Instance and Conciliation Court judges. The training, which tackled issues such as land settlement law, renewed registration, and tasks of the settlement officer, resulted in a 354% average improvement in the knowledge level of the judges after the training. PJEP also received USAID vetting approval to work with five West Bank law schools, including Al Ahliya Law School in Bethlehem, Hebron University, Modern College in Ramallah, Al Quds University, and An-Najah University in Nablus. The program plans to conduct national and local moot court competitions with students from these universities and upgrade the computer labs, support moot court facilities, and deliver books and legal periodicals to the law school libraries. In addition to these activities, PJEP selected four civil society organizations, including Juhoud, Ellid, Students Forum Institute, and Al-Marsad, to receive grant funds for public outreach activities aimed at raising awareness of the Rule of Law, human rights, and promoting civic education. The program also produced a radio series promotion for the High Judicial Council to educate the public on legal issues and increase awareness of the court system operations. Due to a congressional hold on funding, PJEP re-evaluated all previously planned project activities and developed a new work plan emphasizing highest priority activities. However, the hold on funding was partially lifted, resulting in an additional one million dollar increase in obligated funds, allowing PJEP to re-instate some project activities but not function to its full capacity.