Middle East & North Africa

The Israeli organization "NGO Monitor" criticizes, as reported by the daily newspaper "Jerusalem Post" from January 26, 2012, the Heinrich Böll Foundation's grant to the Israeli website 972mag.com. Ralf Fücks, Co-President of the Heinrich Böll Foundation, responds.

During the Arab uprisings, an unprecedented number of women took to the streets, paving the way for a more important role in politics. However, in the transitional period that follows, they now have to fight against their exclusion from the political arena. This fight will blur the conflict lines between the „traditional-religious“ and the „urban-modern-non-religious“ blocs. 

Following the popular uprisings, there has been much amount of debate on the future of minority Christians sects in the region. Is the new Arab world hostile to Christians? Is it wise for them to fear the downfall of the Assad regime?

Exactly 11 years ago, the United Nations Security Council unanimously adopted Resolution 1325 on Women and peace and security. This groundbreaking document calls for representation of women in peace negotiations and increased protection of women and children against violence in conflict situations. In Israel, our parter organization Itach-Maaki is working for the national implementation of the resolution.

After seven months of military repression, Syria’s protest movement is still bravely confronting the government of Bashar al-Assad. Layla Al-Zubaidi heads the office of the Heinrich-Böll-Foundation in Beirut. In an interview, she speaks about the endurance of the protests, the complexity of confessional groups and Turkeys role in the conflict.

Arab Spring cought the West by surprise. The United States are currently facing a tremendous loss of influence in the region. Changing US policy toward authoritarian regimes has been like turning an oil tanker.

During the ongoing housing protests in Israel, the Green Movement just released the first draft of a Green New Deal. Two chairpersons of the Green Movement link their economic plan with the currrent protests for social justice.

For the first few weeks of the social protests in Israel the press happily dismissed everything else – Palestinians, Iran, September, democracy barely reached back pages of the papers. The question at stake is, will the movement ultimately be forced by its own goals to confront and possibly re-interpret critical issues such in light of the newfound empowerment and social consciousness?

Protesters just over two weeks ago built a camp at the end of Rothschild Boulevard, just opposite Israel's National Theater and the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra. By the next day, there were fifty tents, and by week's end a hundred. By then, tent cities rose in a dozen cities and towns around the country. A report about the growing social protest against high rents and living costs which started in Tel Aviv and have captured the entire state of Israel.

To the degree that the international community is concerned with the intra-Afghan agreement and security handover, so should it also be concerned that the process does not harm Afghan civil society, but rather ensure that it has an active voice in the process.