The Work of the Political Foundations Against the Backdrop of the “Shrinking Space” of Civil Society in Israel

Abstract

The Heinrich-Böll-Foundation is affiliated to the German Green Party and shares certain values with this group. The foundation functions as a catalyst for green visions and projects. Similar to the other foundations, the HBS organizes workshops and conferences, training, publications, and research in cooperation with local partners. It supports advocacy, capacity and coalition building, and is active in initiating public debates on political, environmental, and social issues focusing on the environment, sustainability, gender and Israel in German- Israeli dialogue. After the Israeli government adopted the transparency bill in June 2016, all six German political foundations issued a joint protest letter. While the government argues that it solely wants to make transparent the influence that foreign governments allegedly try to wield on Israeli politics, the HBS claims that this reasoning is a cover for a targeted effort to further curtail the work of those NGOs that are critical of the government.