Palestinian Cabinet to consider new law providing greater access to government documents
A draft law on the right to access information has languished for years without being presented to the president's office, so supporters of the proposal have formed a coalition to press for movement on the measure.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — For years now, the Palestinian Cabinet has been sitting on a draft law about the rights of citizens and journalists to access government information. Some speculate the politicians fear relinquishing their grip on such information; others think the Cabinet has just been working on more important issues.
Parliament members say they have made efforts to approve the draft since 2005, when it was introduced to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and was approved in its first reading.
More recently, Rafiq al-Natsheh, president of the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission, submitted the draft law to Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah in December 2013, to be then submitted to the presidential office for approval. That month, Hamdallah said, “The Cabinet is working on the draft law on the right of access to information to guarantee press freedom in Palestine and to embrace the spirit of transparency and accountability in the public institutions.”
Natsheh said during a workshop with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on Oct. 19 that he “does not see any justification for the delay to approve the law, particularly since all examinations in this regard were completed.”
