Religious Mediators in Palestine

textabstractThe spatial and social fragmentation of the Palestinian territories has not only weakened judicial and police systems, but also undermined classical conflict resolution mechanisms based on kinship and other forms of social proximity. In this context, new religious mediators are gaining ground. The author shows that by appealing to “Islamic values” as the only remaining connecting principle, these new legal actors have played a key role in preventing the disintegration of now isolated communities