The Attorney General Warns at the Arab Public Prosecutors Association: The Most Dangerous Phase Threatening the Existence of Palestine and Its Institutions

SadaNews - The Attorney General, Counselor Akram Al-Khatib, participated, as Vice President of the Arab Public Prosecutors Association for the Levant region, leading a delegation that included Assistant Attorney General Mr. Ashraf Arikat, and the heads of the public prosecution, Mr. Ashraf Mishael and Mr. Azzam Tawafsha, in the fifth annual meeting of the Arab Public Prosecutors Association, held in Dhofar Governorate in the Sultanate of Oman. The meeting included participation from several public prosecutors and attorneys general from various sister Arab countries to support the priorities of modern criminal policies and enhance cooperation among Arab public prosecution entities.

During the meeting, Counselor Al-Khatib confirmed that what Palestine is undergoing today is a war of extermination in the literal sense, targeting the existence of the Palestinian people and the institutions of their state. He emphasized that this war undermines the pillars of economic, social, and judicial security, indicating that the public prosecution recently included (15) names of colonizers, comprising (11) individuals and (4) entities, on the national terrorism list.
He stressed that despite the unprecedented challenges threatening the existence of Palestinian institutions, the public prosecution is continuing its mission to protect justice and combat crimes, calling on Arab public prosecutions to enhance international judicial cooperation and to develop training and institutional capacities.

Additionally, Al-Khatib valued the endorsement of the tasks for the contact point committee and the media content team, praising the training courses organized by some Arab prosecutions. He confirmed Palestine's readiness to share its experiences and organize training programs. He pointed out the importance of stabilizing the structures of the association and activating its financial secretariat in the Arab Republic of Egypt to ensure transparency and continuity of operations, while welcoming the expansion of international judicial cooperation and attracting new countries to join the association.

The meeting included honoring the most distinguished members of the public prosecutions in their countries from various sister states, where the State of Palestine nominated the martyr public prosecutor Dr. Issa Barham, from the town of Beita south of Nablus, for the annual honorary award for distinguished members of the Arab Public Prosecutors Association. This was in recognition of his dedication to performing his duties and in remembrance of his sacrifices in upholding the truth and achieving justice. With this nomination, martyr Barham becomes the first member of the Palestinian public prosecution nominated for this esteemed Arab honor.

On the sidelines of the meeting, a workshop was held on investigating crimes related to digital currencies, during which the head of the public prosecution, Mr. Azzam Tawafsha, presented a scientific paper titled "Investigating Crimes Related to Digital Currencies and Securing Its Evidence." He reviewed the procedures the public prosecution undertakes to pursue this type of crime, alongside the main challenges Palestine faces due to occupation restrictions as well as the weak international cooperation and varying legislations among countries, emphasizing the necessity to develop the legal framework and build specialized national capacities capable of facing this challenge.

It is noted that the meeting addressed several axes related to enhancing Arab judicial cooperation to combat crime, especially transnational crimes, in addition to exchanging experiences and coordinating efforts regarding common challenges. It included adopting the names of the contact point committee and the media content team, reviewing the training plan for 2025, in addition to discussing mechanisms to attract new countries to join the association and enhancing cooperation with the European Agency for Criminal Justice Cooperation (Eurojust).