For the second time in a row, a team of BZU students from the Law Department at the Faculty of Law and Public Administration participated in the JESSUP Public International Law Moot Court Competition. This year’s competition was held from 25 to 31 March 2012 in Washington, D.C., where it has been held annually since 1953.

The Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition is the most prestigious international law moot court, or advocacy, competition. It involves a simulated dispute between teams of two participating countries before the International Court of Justice, the judicial organ of the United Nations. In this year’s competition, the participants addressed disputes like the legality of destroying a cultural site, representation of a state after a coup d’état, identification of other states’ responsibilities towards conflict areas, among others.

In this year’s contest, 500 law schools from 80 countries participated, as thousands of law students from around the world worked throughout the year on this season's Jessup Problem.

BZU won the “Spirit of Jessup Award,” for which all eighty countries competed, as the award is highly significant at the international political and legal levels. It is the only award that is granted by a vote of the participating teams, embodying their support of the Palestinian cause and Palestinian students.