Civil Society

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.

Arrested on May 6 at his home in Haifa, Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Ameer Makhoul is due to stand trial beginning on 27 June. Writing from Gilboa Jail, Makhoul describes how his arrest, interrogation, torture and trial using "secret evidence" are Israel's tools for the criminalization of human rights defenders.

As progressive forces in the United States prepare to convene the second U.S. Social Forum this week in Detroit, Al-Shabaka Policy Advisor Noura Erakat comments on the gap between Palestinian and Arab dreams of an America committed to justice and the reality of the work it would take to achieve this dream

Al-Shabaka policy advisor Omar Barghouti examines the formation and evolution of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement. Barghouti argues that BDS's growing success is due to its rights-based approach, collective leadership, call to Israelis of conscience, and promotion of context-specific strategies.