Civil Society

A recent surge in the production of Palestinian oral history provides a new opportunity for activists defending communities against displacement. Al-Shabaka Policy Member Thayer Hastings outlines an advocacy role for a Palestinian oral history focused on local needs and uses concrete examples to demonstrate how such a role could promote land-based rights.

Overview Israel’s biggest military companies last year rang alarm bells over a decline in international contracts, citing smaller budgets, more competition, and less desire for Israeli-made products as among the reasons. Is this an indicator that Israel’s arms industry might not be as invincible as it seems? What led arms deals with Israeli companies to…

Benjamin Netanyahu just declared that Israel has defeated the boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement. Yet the movement continues to chalk up victories while Israel ramps up its attacks against defenders of Palestinian human rights, including BDS activists. Al-Shabaka policy analysts examine these threats against Israel’s previous attacks and explore what activists can do to protect themselves and their work.

Beyond the headlines of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) challenge to Israel, there is continuous debate as the movement matures. What other strategies do Palestinians need? Are comparisons with South Africa appropriate? What about problems with international law? What of gray areas around normalization? Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor and BDS co-founder Omar Barghouti addresses these and more.

The New Year brought further attacks against the Palestinian citizens in Israel’s rights to exercise freedom of speech and association. Left-wing Israeli Jewish organizations are also under increasing pressure. Al-Shabaka policy members Nadim Nashif and Raya Naamneh analyze the impact of these attacks by both the Israeli government and right wing organizations espousing an extremist ideology.

Mahmoud Abbas raised the Palestine flag at the UN just as a Palestinian revolt against Israel’s decades-long denial of rights spread from Jerusalem to the rest of the occupied territory and Israel itself. Al-Shabaka Executive Director Nadia Hijab examines the already serious limits state and civil society face in making the Palestine State project a reality.

The success of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) Movement launched a decade ago owes much to the constancy of its founding principles and the flexibility of its context-specific actions, as is evident in this policy brief written half-way along the road by Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Omar Barghouti and republished today.

Are people’s movements intrinsically superior to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) or is there a role for different types of organizations in the Palestinian civil society spectrum? Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Fateh Azzam reviews some of the recent critiques of NGOs in favor of popular movements. He discusses the issues of representation, agendas, and funding, among others, and argues that there is room for all.

Palestinians under Israeli occupation led the civil resistance that culminated in the First Intifada of the 1980s. By the mid-1990s, much of civil society was “NGO-ized” draining the Palestinian national movement of leadership. Al-Shabaka Policy Member Tariq Dana examines the shift in organizational agendas and tactics and recommends ways to reverse course.

July marked the sixth anniversary of the ruling by the International Court of Justice on Israel’s Wall in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. Al-Shabaka policy advisor Jamal Juma’ examines how and why the Wall was established and how can Palestinians utilize the ICJ ruling to achieve their rights.