Civil society and peacebuilding: summary of results for a comparative research project

This publication contextualizes the religious and humanitarian aspects of zakat committees as well as their governance since the 1970s. It enquires into the politicization of the West Bank zakat committees' roles and their dissolution and radical reorganization implemented by the emergency cabinet heading the Palestinian Authority since 2007. An allegation against the zakat committees, used to justify the reorganization, was that their work had entailed political benefits for the opposition in general and Hamas in particular. The Working Paper draws on interviews with local actors and published research to argue for a more nuanced interpretation of the role of zakat committees within Palestinian society.