ABSTRACT
Whereas the previous chapter has outlined the cultural and political frameworks within which the shari‘a court in West Jerusalem operates, the present chapter aims to provide a detailed description of the various actors that take part in the social interactions unfolding in the court: the clientele of the court (i.e. litigants); the court’s salaried personnel; lawyers and shar‘i advocates; semi-official functionaries appointed by the court (e.g. mediators, marriage registrars). The discussion dwells not only on the sociological and demographical characteristics of each of these groups, but also on the interrelations that they maintain with other actors.
