The Shrinking Space of the Third Sector in Israel and Turkey

The governance of civil societyCivil society in Israel and Turkey offers systems that are similar in some aspects yet substantially different in others. Notwithstanding, in both countries the space granted to civil societyCivil society organizations, especially those that promote liberal values and challenge state policies, is increasingly constrained by the governing parties and ideologies of the last decade. Consequently, the ability of these groups to articulate independent views and advocate them in the public sphere in Israel and Turkey has been drastically curtailed over the last few years. We begin this chapter with an overview of civil societyCivil society regulation and development in Israel and Turkey over the years. Later, we investigate in more detail the experiences of four civil societyCivil society organizations (CSO), namely the New Israel Fund (NIF)New Israel Fund and Breaking the Silence (BTS) (Shovrim ShtikaShovrim Shtika) in Israel and the Capitol Women (Baskent KadinBaşkent Kadın) Group and the Association for Human RightsHuman rightsand Solidarity for the Oppressed (MazlumderMazlumder) in Turkey.