Arab customary law and the modern Western idea of restorative justice

Arab customary conflict resolution and the alternative Western approach to dispute resolution are both the result of a similar way of administering justice – a restorative justice paradigm. Thus, we argue that it is not a new or a strictly western concept given that its fundamental values or even structures have existed in the customary laws of different cultures, like Arab culture, for centuries. In this article, we compare Western restorative justice institutions with the Arab customary conflict resolution process (sulh) used in contemporary Palestine.