A Case Study of the Areas Under Control of the Palestinian Authority
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law CUA Law Scholarship Repository Scholarly Articles and Other Contributions Faculty Scholarship 2000 International Commercial Arbitration: A Case Study of the Areas Under Control of the Palestinian Authority Marshall J. Breger The Catholic University of America, Columbus School of Law Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.law.edu/scholar Part of the Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Commons, and the International Law Commons Recommended Citation Marshall J. Breger and Shelby Quast, International Commercial Arbitration: A Case Study of the Areas Under Control of the Palestinian Authority, 32 CASE W. RES. J. INT’L L. 185 (2000) This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Faculty Scholarship at CUA Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scholarly Articles and Other Contributions by an authorized administrator of CUA Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ARTICLE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION: A CASE STUDY OF THE AREAS UNDER CONTROL OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY MarshallJ. Breger & Shelby R. Quast* I. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 187 II. THE OSLO AGREEMENT ............................................................ 188 III. OPERATIVE ARBITRATION LAWS APPLICABLE IN THE AREAS UNDER CONTROL OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTH ORITY .................................................................................. 194 A. Jordanian Law of 1953 ............................................................. 197 B . British Law ............................................................................... 199 IV. OVERVIEW OF STANDARDS IN INTERNATIONAL ARBITRA TION ...............................................................................201 A . Conventions .............................................................................202 B . M odels ......................................................................................204 V. INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION ACTS AND INVESTMENT LAWS IN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES ...................................... 206 . An earlier version of this paper was prepared for a seminar on Arbitration in Palestine sponsored by the Palestinian Authority of Trade and Economics held in Ramallah, West Bank June 30, 1999. Marshall J. Breger is a Professor of Law, Columbus School of Law, Catholic University of America. Co-editor, M. Breger, G. Schatz, & D. LauferADR INTHE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT: A DESKBOOK FOR PRACTITIONERS (American Bar Association, forthcoming 2000). Professor Breger teaches courses in Alternative Dispute Resolution and International Commercial Arbitration. Shelby R. Quast, is a principal in Robertson Quast Associates International. Her publications include, INTERMEDIATE SOVEREIGNTY AS A BASIS FOR RESOLVING THE Kosovo CRISIS, PUBLIC INTERNATIONAL LAW & POLICY GROUP (1998); Business Transactions & Disputes, 33 INTERNATIONAL LAWYER 429 (1999); and articles in the Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering Bi-Annual International Arbitration Newsletter. Ms. Quast's practice includes international arbitration, international public law and development, and international transactions. 186 CASE W. RES. J. INT'L L. [Vol. 32:185 A . E gypt ........................................................................................ 207 B . Jordan Post 1953 ...................................................................... 210 C . Israel ......................................................................................... 2 11 VI. THE STATUS OF ARBITRATION IN PALESTINE - RELEVANT PALESTINIAN LEGISLATION ................................ 214 A . Sulha ........................................................................................ 214 B. Dispute Resolution in the Legal System .................................... 215 1. The Palestinian Law on the Encouragement of Investment ...... 216 2. 1995 Palestinian Investment Law and Dispute Resolution ....... 217 VII. REGIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION CONVENTIONS IN ARAB STATES .......................................................................... 221 VIII. WHAT IS THE LEGAL PERSONALITY OF PALESTINE? ..... 224 IX. WHAT CAN THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY DO TO RESPOND TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY'S REQUEST FOR CERTAINTY AS TO DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURES?. 228 X. HOW A PALESTINIAN ARBITRATION LAW FITS INTO THE INTERIM AGREEMENT ................................................................ 230 A. An Argument that PA Arbitration Agreements Do Not Violate the Paris Protocols .................................................................... 232 B. Existing Bilateral and Multilateral Agreements of the PA that Include Arbitration Provisions .................................................. 235 C. Agreements with Palestine's Trade Partners ............................. 236 D. The Dispute over the European Union Agreement and its Meaning for a PA Arbitration Treaty ....................................................... 238 E. The Jurisdictional Power to Sign .............................................. 240 XI. DOMESTIC VERSUS INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION L A WS .............................................................................................. 243 XII. NATIONAL LAWS AND THE COURT ..................................... 243 XIII. A SUGGESTED INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION ACT FOR PALESTIN E ............................................................................ 244 A. Arbitration Agreem ent .............................................................. 246 B. Definition of "International" .................................................... 248 C. Place of Arbitration .................................................................. 249 D. Concept of Party Autonomy ..................................................... 250 E . L aw s ......................................................................................... 251 F. L anguage ..................................................................................251 G. Court Involvem ent .................................................................... 252 H . A rbitrators ................................................................................ 253 2000] INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION XIV. DRAFT PALESTINIAN INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION LAW .....................................................................256 XV. CONCLUSION ............................................................................ 258 I. INTRODUCTION One necessary component to the success of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process is economic development and growth in the area under the control of the Palestinian Authority.1 One of the principal requirements for economic growth, and quite possibly for2 the Palestinian Authority's economic survival, is foreign investment in WBG. As they currently exist, laws concerning foreign investment in WBG are a quagmire. Indeed, it is a challenge for an investor to simply identify which law applies to which area, let alone to interpret the law. At the same time many of the protections often found in a transparent 'rule of law' society are still lacking in the WBG. 1 See The West Bank and Gaza Strip Private Economy: Conditions and Prospects, United Nations Office of the Special Coordinator in the Occupied Territories (visited Mar. 7, 2000) <http:/www.arts.mcgill.calmepp/unsco/private/private.html> (noting that Palestine is attempting to improve conditions for sustainable economic development). The areas under the control of the Palestinian Authority consist of portions of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Israeli-PalestinianInterim Agreement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Sept. 28, 1995, Isr.-PLO, 36 I.L.M. 551 [hereinafter Interim Agreement]. The West Bank is divided into areas "A", "B" and "C." See id. art. XI. The area of Palestinian self-rule consists of areas "A" and "B". See id. Area "A" is currently comprised of eight Arab cities in the West Bank. Id. Area "B" is comprised of smaller towns and villages in which Palestinian jurisdiction extends to civil affairs, but where Israel retains control over internal security. Id. Area "C" consists of the Israeli-controlled remainder of the West Bank. Id. The Palestinian Council currently has jurisdiction over civil affairs in areas "A" and "B". See Interim Agreement, art. XI, supra;see also Keith C. Molkner, Essay: Legal and StructuralHurdles to Achieving PoliticalStability and Economic Development in the PalestinianTerritories, 19 FORDHAM INT'LL.J. 1419, 1428-29 (1996) (discussing the division of areas under Palestinian self-rule). The geographic scope of the jurisdictions was to change continuously throughout the interim period. See Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area, May 4, 1994, art. II, 33 I.L.M. 622. The parties have failed to meet the timetable for the transfer of authority. For a discussion of the timetable, see Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements, Sept. 13, 1993, art. IV, 32 I.L.M. 1525 (1993) (entered into force on Oct. 13, 1993) [hereinafter Declaration of Principles]. Thus, the final resolution of the reach of Palestinian jurisdiction has not yet been resolved. However, efforts are ongoing to reach a final status on the accords by fall 2000. See Danna Harmon, PM,ArafatAgrees to Relaunch Talks: Summit Planned Today in Sharm el Sheikh to Announce Further Meetings in Washington, JERUSALEM POST, Mar. 9, 2000, at 1; Aluf Benn, The Barak-ArafatRamallah Agreement,