JERUSALEM , February 13, 2017 (WAFA) – Law students from An-Najah National University in Nablus have been selected to represent Palestine at the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition that will be held in Washington, D.C. in April, according to a press release by the US consulate in Jerusalem.
The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the largest moot court competition in the world with over 550 participating universities in over 80 countries.
Najah law school team won the competition held in Ramallah with support from the US Consulate General in Jerusalem.
In the awards ceremony held on Sunday, the panel of final round judges announced that the team from An-Najah National University won the competition with Birzeit University taking second place.
Law students from Al Quds University, Birzeit University, An-Najah National University, Arab American University of Jenin, Modern University College in Ramallah, Al Isteklal University, and Palestine Ahliyeh University presented arguments over the weekend in front of a panel of judges to prove their skills in oral advocacy, critical thinking, research, and legal writing.
The winning Palestinian team and an exhibition team will travel to Washington, D.C. in April to compete against their peers from all over the world, said the release.
US Consul General Donald Blome, who served as a judge on the final panel, told the teams, “I can only begin to imagine the places you will go and the things you will achieve. The practical skills that you have learned through this competition will help take you there. It is because of the impact of this program that we at the US Consulate General in Jerusalem are so proud to sponsor this competition for six previous years.”
The Palestinian law students that make up those teams demonstrated their intellect in the moot court competition, which is a simulation of a fictional dispute between countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations, said the US consulate’s press release.
From here, the team from An-Najah National University will travel to the United States to compete against young attorneys from all over the world for the chance to bring home the Jessup Cup – a trophy engraved with the names of all winners since the beginning of the competition.
2017 marks the 58th Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition and the sixth year in which Palestinian students have competed. The American Bar Association organized the competition in coordination with the US Consulate General in Jerusalem.
In 2016, the US Government invested over $14 million in the Palestinian justice sector – the bedrock of a strong and flourishing society, said the press release.
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