Israeli civil society in the fight for democracy and human rights

Israeli civil society is currently facing unprecedented challenges from a government that is increasingly questioning basic democratic principles and human rights. This lecture briefly introduces basic theories of protest movements and civil society engagement and examines how these concepts play out in the Israeli context. Both classical approaches to social movement theories and newer perspectives on democratic resilience will be examined. The focus is on the question of why an active civil society is of existential importance for the preservation of democratic structures, especially in today’s Israel.

The protest movement since 2023 impressively shows how many citizens are committed to fighting against the dismantling of constitutional principles and in favour of equal rights. The lecture will explain how these civil society actors are fighting for peace, democracy and human rights despite massive political pressure. Finally, we will discuss the role of international solidarity and attention in strengthening these democratic forces.

Prof Dr Sibylle Heilbrunn is a sociologist and author and currently Professor at Kinneret College on the Sea of Galilee, where she is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities. She obtained her doctorate at the University of Haifa in the field of organisational sociology and her academic career spans various institutions in Israel and Europe. She is also a volunteer in several NGOs.

In October, she was a guest on „Zehn Zwölf“, the Fritz Bauer Forum’s human rights podcast, to talk about current international approaches to a peace process and the role of civil society in Israel’s political future. The episode can be found wherever podcasts are available, including on YouTube.

An event organised by the Fritz Bauer Forum