Introduction 21 threatens the most fundamental aspects of their wellbeing. These people deserve and have the right to be defended – even if this entails the utilization of the unethical legal system of the occupier. For victims of home demolition, uprooted farmland and shattered lives, international law violations mean little. Nevertheless, it would be self-deceptive to expect that the procedures in this Handbook could provide remedies to the Israeli land grab in Palestine. In most cases, the Handbook could assist affected people in ‘buying time’ to delay the bitter fate of their displacement and/or dispossession. We do not believe that the Israeli legal system, including the judiciary, can be just with regards to issues of land and property – this, in spite of a few and limited ‘success stories’ mentioned within the text. Stories of ‘successful’ legal cases are displayed as learning examples for people in similar situations. These, nonetheless, are an exception to the unjust norm of the Israeli legal and judicial systems. Lastly, and with regards to the layout of the Handbook, we chose to arrange the chapters thematically rather than geographically. There are arguments for and against either design. Structuring the chapters according to geographical area (West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza Strip) correlates to the distinct Israeli regulations for each area. However, in many cases laws and regulations overlap across divides – especially when people live in one area while their lands are in another. Our primary objective, from a thematically organized point of view, was to produce a user-friendly and accessible resource. Language Barrier In January 2013, the Jerusalem Administrative Court denied a petition filed by The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center demanding that the Israeli planning authorities translate planning documents for the Mount Scopus Slopes National Park into Arabic so that Palestinians could have the opportunity to understand and then object to the plans. And, in another case in February 2013, the Supreme Court denied a petition to delay the advancement of the plan until after it hears the appeal on the Administrative Court’s ruling on the translation case.86 United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has said: “Both court decisions may have an impact on the status of Arabic in official state documents. The lack of translation of plans from Hebrew to Arabic hinders the ability of Palestinian communities to effectively object to plans that will be implemented in their vicinity.”87 86 87 The Jerusalem Legal Aid and Human Rights Center V. District Planning Committee (Jerusalem District Court 2012). OCHA-chaired Protection Cluster, ‘Legal Taskforce Weekly Media Report’, March 29, 2013.