Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas renewed the new state of emergency in the Palestinian territories for 30 days, in the efforts to confront the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Palestine has been under a state of emergency since the outbreak of the coronavirus in Palestine on March 5, and will now last until at least June 5, Abbas announced. But movement between cities in the Israeli-occupied territory will be eased and steps taken towards reopening shops and other businesses, he added. On Sunday, Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh sent a letter to the President recommending the extension of the state of emergency imposed to fight the pandemic. Shtayyeh chaired a meeting for the national emergency committee, heads of security forces, and the Ministry of Health. Shtayyeh’s recommendation came one day after the former state of emergency ended in order to issue a renewal, to avoid any legal dispute. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Bar Association objected a third extension of the state of emergency. It declared, along with human rights institutions, that the constitution does not allow this. The Association asked Abbas not to extend the state of emergency again due to its illegality, and asked him to issue instructions to restore life and resume production while following the preventive and safety measures stipulated in the Public Health Law. The Association sent a letter to the President indicating that the state of emergency in the State of Palestine ends on May 04, 2020, and any extension will be illegal, according to the Basic Law in Article 110 regarding the extension of the state of emergency. Politicians, trade unionists, and activists have also refused the renewal of the state of emergency. Meanwhile, Health Minister Mai al-Kaileh announced that eight new coronavirus cases have been detected in the West Bank, raising the total number of confirmed cases in the occupied territories to 532, with 102 recovered and 2 deaths. The eight new cases were identified as three Palestinian workers who work inside Israel and five others who came in contact with them.