Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas passes in front of American President Donald Trump during the summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Oct. 13, 2025. (Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP)
BEIRUT — Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas on Monday issued a presidential decree ordering the publication of the first draft of a provisional constitution for the State of Palestine, Palestinian news agency Wafa reported.
The draft will be "made available to the public for comment via the online platform designated by the National Committee for Drafting the Constitution," the text of the decree stated.
According to the text, the publication of this draft law "aims to broaden community participation in drafting the provisional constitution by inviting citizens, civil society institutions, political factions, experts and academics to submit their comments and proposals within sixty days from the date of publication of the decree."
The text specifies that "the Coordination and Drafting Committee, created within the Provisional Constitution Preparatory Committee, will be responsible for receiving, sorting and reviewing the submitted comments."
These comments "will be categorized, with one section for feedback on constitutional principles and another for technical comments on wording, in order to introduce the necessary modifications in a way that serves the public interest and national consensus," the text also says.
The creation of a Palestinian state has been the main demand of the Palestinian people and authorities since 1948, but the Israeli side, particularly its current prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continues to firmly reject it.
Many countries have already recognized the Palestinians' right to an independent state. However, the recent war in Gaza (October 2023–October 2025) and frequent Israeli incursions in the West Bank have further widened the gap between the two sides.
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