The "So As Not to Forget" Society, in cooperation with the Technical Consultant Committee, in Jenin, organized a ceremony honoring the role of women in NGOs. (Mohamad Torkoman, Maan Images)

Non-Governmental Organizations or NGO's and other civil society groups are a particularly vibrant and important element in contemporary Palestinian public life.

Lacking a state and facing a foreign military occupation (under which membership in "hostile organizations" was punishable by imprisonment), trade and professional unions assumed responsibility for articulating the political concerns of the Palestinian community.

Beginning in the late 1970s, and accelerating greatly during the first intifada (1987-1993), a number of NGO's were established that dealt with human rights violations, women's concerns, economic development, medical relief, and a host of other matters.

Al-Haq ("Right," a human rights group), Badil ("Alternative," focusing on refugee issues), the Alternative Tourism Group (promoting socially conscious and sustainable tourism), Palestinian LAW (Land and Water) Institute (human rights and environmental concerns), are several of the leading NGO's operating in the Palestinian territories today.

With the advent of the Palestinian Authority, this movement - largely oriented toward opposing Israeli military occupation - lost some of its momentum. Some groups were at odds with the PA, criticizing its corruption, lawlessness, and other forms of government misconduct.

The PA responded with a variety of measures to co-opt, control, or simply intimidate the NGO's.

In addition to the NGO's based in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, a number of groups, such as Najda ("Aid"), and Ai'doun ("The Returnees") have served the Palestinian community in exile, particularly in Lebanon, where the government has been generally unwelcoming of Palestinian refugees.

Several Palestinian NGO's, such as Adalah ("Justice"), the Arab Association for Human Rights, and Mossawa ("Equality") have been established by Palestinian citizens of Israel to fight for equal rights there.

Palestinian NGO's may be regaining their former saliency. About 170 Palestinian groups from around the globe recently issued a call for a coordinated plan of divestment, boycotts, and sanctions against Israel, seeking equal rights for Palestinian citizens of Israel, an end to Israeli occupation of the West Bank, and realization of the right of return for Palestinian refugees.