The shrinking space for civil society activism in Palestine

Bibliographic Data

ID7172103
AuthorsAnja Zorob (0000-0002-2739-0008, Birzeit University, corresponding author), Anna Paluszek (Independent researcher)
Year2025
Volume46
Issue10
Pages1092-1111
Publication date2025-07-03
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueThird World Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0143-6597 • E-ISSN: 1360-2241
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/01436597.2024.2409245
OpenAlexW4404416377
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited16

Counter-terrorism is increasingly being used to shrink the space for civil society. In October 2021, six Palestinian civil society organisations (CSOs) were proscribed by the Israeli Minister of Defense as ‘terrorist organisations’ based on the 2016 Counter-Terrorism Law. If fully implemented, in conjunction with the 1945 Defense (Emergency) Regulations, the CSOs’ offices would be closed and their staff arrested. However, the designation’s primary audience has reportedly been the donors of these organisations. This article explores whether the designation added another layer to the long-ongoing process of criminalising the CSOs, curtailing their capabilities to operate, and delegitimising them as partners for the donors and global civil society. The analysis draws on a combination of the shrinking space concept and securitisation theory. It broadens the latter to include the power of the referent subject, an aspect often neglected in the literature. Even though both audiences did not approve of the Israeli government’s securitising move and the CSOs were able to develop coping mechanisms, it deepened chilling effects. Continued attacks against the organisations contributed to further limiting their activism space. The case study builds upon a content analysis of legal documents, public statements, and data gathered through semi-structured interviews

Ancient history · Civil society · Economics · International trade · Palestine · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Resizing · Sociology · Space (punctuation) · Global Security and Public Health · History · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies · Law · Middle East Politics and Society · Philosophy

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