“…[dissenting] intellectuals tend to be scorned and abused and vilified as “the Right”; Right-wing”—that all-purpose, nonsensical, infantile insult which is designed to shut down argument. There is nothing remotely right-wing about standing up for truth against lies, justice against injustice, freedom against those who would snuff out freedom

– Melanie Phillips Israeli TV (8th January 2011)

This insightful remark by the ever-incisive British-Israeli political pundit encapsulates much of the deep malaise that has, to a large degree, afflicted both the Israeli political system and civil society institutions with which it interacts—such as Israel legal system, the academe, and mainstream media.

The political divide in Israel

For decades, the rivalry over political power in Israel has focused principally on a divide between opposing political credos classified (or rather, misclassified) as “Left” and “Right” and the political parties allegedly affiliated with these divergent world views, perceived (or rather misperceived)  as being mutually exclusive.

This, however, is a dichotomy that is not only overly simplistic, but also misleading, inappropriate, and in the final analysis, deeply detrimental to the conduct of political life in the country.  Indeed, in Israel, it is a divide that is even more deceptive and distortive than elsewhere in…