| Summary/Abstract |
Today, in the Israel of 2018 — with its restrictions on basic liberties as reflected in aggressive legislation against any critical public discussion of the policies of the hegemonic right-wing government — the importance of deliberating public matters, including the Nation-State Law, can no longer be taken for granted. Liberal circles are rightly suspicious that broad segments of the Jewish population consider open and free critical deliberations of government policies as a form of “unpatriotic” behavior and therefore illegitimate opposition. Today’s Israel is characterized by an atmosphere of intimidation, supported by the passage of laws whose main aim is to silence voices that oppose the ideological worldview of the rightwing coalition of conservative nationalist parties headed by the Likud. It is sufficient to mention the “NGOs Law,” the “Nakba Law,” the proposed “Cultural Loyalty Bill,” and the systematic attack on academic institutions, the “wayward” voices in the media and human rights organizations to illustrate this point.
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