Palestinian NGOs and their cultural, economic and political impact in Palestinian society

Eighty percent of the budget of Palestinian Non-Governmental Organizations is funded by external donors, mainly the EU and the USA. NGOs complain about conditions set by the donors in terms of using this money. Fewer criticize its negative impact on Palestinian society. Only very few suggest alternatives, without being able to translate them into action on the ground. This study doesn’t look at the outcomes of individual NGO projects, but focuses on the higher level of the NGOs’ work or, more precisely, the impact of foreign funding implemented through local NGOs in Palestine. The researchers have come to the conclusion, that NGOs here in general aren’t a civil society system of checks and balances to the Palestinian Authority, but, rather, stabilizing the ruling system.