Human rights, civil society and conflict in Israel/Palestine

In view of the comparative character of this book and addressing the Israel- Palestine case study, it is important to emphasize the unique character of the conflict marked by a fundamental asymmetry between the parties involved. Given the voluminous written material devoted to the conflict, it will suffice to mention here the major asymmetries: geopolitical (Palestinians living under Israeli occupation); military (Israel as heretofore the only nuclear power in the Middle East); political (Palestinians having no state, thus no sovereignty); economic (glaring gaps in gross domestic product – GDP); and in terms of international support (Palestinians conditionally supported financially, Israel unconditionally supported politically and militarily by the Western states). Although their fates are closely intertwined, Palestinian and Israeli civil societies have grown increasingly and dramatically oblivious to one another since the second Intifada. Asymmetries and separation are two major factors to take into account in order to analyse Israeli and Palestinian civil societies in context. These factors should not be ignored if we want to understand the different uses and understandings of core notions such as peace or democracy in both societies. Indeed, we assume that the various impacts of actions undertaken by civil society depend to a large extent on the uses and understandings of these notions.

Related Subject(s): Human Rights and Refugees

Countries: Israel ; Palestine, State of