NGOs Face Challenges in Gaza
NGOs in Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, have faced constant roadblocks to carrying out their work as they clash with local political interests, writes Hazem Balousha.
For decades, Palestinian society has suffered from instability in the provision of basic needs, volatile political conditions and constantly changing authorities, while its civil institutions remain relatively stable. But the relationship between Palestine’s vast non-governmental network and authorities has often been fraught with tension.
Before the emergence of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in 1994, NGOs were primarily focused on strengthening Palestinians in the face of the Israeli occupation, but then shifted their aims towards development projects after Oslo. This marked a quantum leap toward development and as much as a 500% increase in NGO funding, according to a 2009 report issued by the NGO Development Center.
Amjad Shawa, the director of the Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations Network (PNGO) in Gaza, said: "With the arrival of the PA, civil action shifted to the defense of human and workers' rights, developing awareness of women's issues, confronting internal violations, influencing the legislation of laws and promoting democracy through elections. However, with the Hamas takeover in Gaza, action initially focused on relief and mediating between the Gaza and the West Bank governments on issues such as electricity, health and education."
The conflict continued between NGOs and the ruling power in the Gaza Strip after the Hamas takeover in 2007, knowing that the NGOs’ relationship with the PA was already undergoing severe tensions. Palestinian civilian activists were even arrested in the 1990s as a result of the struggle over sources of funding — which the PA tried to monopolize — and due to the fact that NGOs criticized the PA for human-rights violations and alleged corruption.
