Palestinian culture through a legal lens: a case study of customary legal proceedings after a homicide in Hebron

Arab customary law is strongly tied to Middle Eastern Arab culture and its traditions and, in Palestine, is still employed in parallel with state and religious laws. The most glaring, though becoming rarer, example of the application of customary law in the occupied Palestinian territories currently relates to criminal offenses such as homicide or bodily injury. This chapter is a case study of Palestinian customary law reconciliation procedures used in a legal conflict between two Hebronite clans: al—Haymounis and al—Jʿabaris, after murders in 2014 and 2016. Customary legal reaction to this crime aroused special interest in the community, and wide coverage by the local media because of its circumstances, the powerful clans involved, and certain unconventional decisions made during otherwise typical customary negotiations. The principal aim of this case study is, through the description and analysis of the above—mentioned case, to define the characteristics of customary law presently used in the country, and draw conclusions concerning contemporary Palestinian culture.