"Freedom to criticize, to call the state to account, to protect people’s rights ..." All noble and mighty causes for our democratic freedom. Yet, Golan ignores the fact that democracy by definition does indeed place limits on those freedoms. Is it criticism to call on our enemies to cripple not just our economy and livlihoods, but our academic freedom with boycotts against ourselves? The vast majority of Israeli citizens believe in democracy and believe in freedom of expression even if we don't agree with it. However, academics who call on the entire world to support our enemies to cripple our country are not expressing any call to account. They are expressing support for an enemy attempt to bring Israel to its knees and weaken us to the point of capitulation to our enemies who hold none of our democratic freedoms as central to their existence. Golan's minority academics wish to force their minority worldview on the majority by supporting the enemy and undermining our democracy at its source. Not just economically, but Golan tells us we should support the academics who call for our total isolation in the world with the goal of forcing the minority view on the majority. There is nothing democratic about that. Golan's radical colleagues are telling us that their academic freedom has no limitations, and that they are allowed to exercise their own brand of democracy with absolutely no limits. Golan is wrong, of course, and any grade school student of civics can explain to her that calling for economic and academic attacks on your own country is indeed the act of a 5th column.

If the left had their way would be no Israel to be democratic. Flirting as they presently do with the most noxious forces oblivious to their Fascist or antisemitic nature. Israel is in no danger of a lack of opposition. The danger is fringe opposition groups who align themselves to those who are actively working against Israel many to do nothing less than destroy Israel. No small irony here of people wrapping themselves in the very flag of the state that they are working so hard to destroy.

I am certainly not anti-intellectual, and what I don't understand is the association of the right with a lack of education. This is rather insulting. I do expect some angry talk-backs, although I would suggest people to stay calm, lest you prove her point. I certainly do not support any attack on leftist activists, or supporters, but what saddens me the most, indeed almost sickens me, is the amount of cockiness that the leftists have. And what chutzpa to say that the right is elitist! In the opinion of the leftists, anyone with a degree from a university is also, naturally, a leftist. After all, you have to be an idiot to be a rightist. Talk about elitism. I would suggest to Prof. Golan to be more respectful of others. If you want to improve the situation and the lack of respect you experience, maybe you should start with evaluating yourself first. And then it turns out to be another plight for the right of Palestinians. What does that have to do with the subject? I am for democratic freedoms of Palestinians, personally, but let's face it, in this situation they cannot have them. And until they create their own state, they won't. Israel cannot give them those freedoms, only the Palestinians themselves can. Although my guess is that you are talking about the Israeli oppression, not a right to self-rule. Well, most of the 'oppression' you hear about is not based on reality, although I grant you there are episodes of misconduct. It would take a couple of books for me to argue every single case. Criticism of the Israeli government is not in itself bad, it can in fact be good, and the presence of the opposition is a good thing. But your criticism is unfounded, and your views derogatory and insulting. You like talking about respect for human life, democratic freedoms, etc., but you forget that your fellow citizens who might not share your leftist views are also humans. If you want to be respected by them, you have to respect them too.

Theoretically, yes, a nation should ideall protect its dissidents--but left-wing Israelis don't consider themselves Jews or Israelis but citizens of the world fighting an oppressive racist settler regime. Maybe the EU can help them out. Or President Obama, who seems to share their opinions.

Professor Golan writes about groups like the New Israel Fund, which funded most of the groups behind the modern blood libel called the Goldstone Report, as if they were meritorious Israelis. Demonizing Israel is not an acceptable activity for Israeli groups. Exposing Israel's military secrets is not acceptable. Assisting Israel's enemies is not acceptable. All these activities are treason. Perhaps Israel is finally fed up with traitors. It's about time!

whatever the right does. Policies initiated and pushed though by the Academic/intellectual left left 2000 Israelis dead and 15,000 maimed, Israel besieged by crazy lunatics armed with tens of thousands of missiles, and cities bombarded on periodically, volunteering to bring and introducing the worst enemies into the heart of Jewish land, cutting off large parts of Jewish land from Israel, legitimizing the dividing of the ancient capital of the Jews to the same enemies and creating an international climate that made it easy to demand the disarming of Israel of its nuclear weapons. How can this even begin to compare to whatever Golan can throw at the right?

and ignorant. With her academic background she is definitely not naive but plain stupid.

...after all you have to pay people to make Aliyah. No one wants to live in a mean little militant country that subjugates and entire human population and constantly threatens war against all of its neighbors. Who needs it?

The criticism against the academia is well justified. And that's because inciting hatred and spreading blood-libels against Israel is not "freedom to criticize", is not "protecting the minority from the tyranny of the majority", and is definitely not "a preservation of democracy". It is simply a systemic de-legitimization campaign designed to erode the ideological and moral foundations which sustain our existence here. Some of these people's inciting statements are actually considered criminal offenses which should be prosecuted under the law. But don't take my word for it - read all about the enormous damage the Israeli leftist academia is causing us in the world, right here: www.isracampus.co.il

I would expect from an academic of the calibre of Galia Golan to come up with more balanced and original ideas, not to mention more intellectually honest approach. So let us look at her terminolgy and decode what is really true: "Likud anti-(Ashkenazi) elitism" So the prevailing anti -sefardi elitism of the left wing founding fathers, including kidnapping of Yemenite children for elitist ashkenazi kibbutniks is not really relevant.. Not to mention Begin's governement was largely Ashkenazi, as was Shamir's, Bibi's and Sharon's. "anti-intellectualism" - as if the right wing do not produce any intellectuals. Or is it that the right wing think tanks, academics, philosphers and even rabbis are not worthy of being true intellectuals? This is the well known No True Scotsman fallacy. She also neglects to mention the Stalinist atmosphere of the rabin-Peres years, esp after rabin was assassinated. Any and all right wing voices were silenced, and imprisoned on charges of "incitement". This was despite hamas bombings, stabbings and shootings. Even so , Netanyahu was still able to defeat Peres in the elections. "tyranny of the majority" is another orwellian term, which is used by the left when democracy does not support them. When they are in power, they claim to be democratic, but when booted out, they use this absrud doublethink term, because at heart, they abhor a democratic system that allows for their autocratic beliefs to be rebutted. And whilst she claims that democratic freedoms were denied to the Palestinians, it was the Oslo, Camp David, and Kadima governemnts that offered them exactly the democratic freedoms - but they rejected it for war, intifada, and nakba. It is only one autocrat who can partner with another. that is why Beilin,breaking Israeli law, negotitated with the PLO in Oslo, whilst his party was in opposition, and not in government. that is a tyranny of the minority - which is exactly what Golan is proposing.

What Prof. Golan fails to address in her article is that the so-called: "attack" is nothing more than ordinary Israelis reacting to the foolishness of the Israeli left wing. Her thesis seems to be that since the left is so naturally correct in its positions, anyone who disagrees must be a right wing radical. There are many of us in the center of Israeli society who would like to see peace. However, we are offended by those on the left who would sell out our state from under us to our worst enemies. People like Shlomo Sand, Anat Kam, Gideon Levy, Amira Hass, and their ilk make us sick to our stomachs because they have more concern for those who hate us, than they do for their own people.

she is too full of herself. What nonsense. She is allowed her opinion, of course, but should realize it is nothing more than that.

laments the fact that the liberal leftwing academia in Israel, the media as we once knew it and the prevailing court system are all significantly losing their influence and power in Israel and the professor suffers. Here's some simple advice: Enjoy your grandchildren, Professor; your own and associates stint for community control is over. The power centre of Israel is shifting but in a very democratic way.

what a silly person

I've worked in Academia - one of the Universities located in Cambridge, MA. My observation is that most, not all, of academia is anti-Israel. It's not a topic even open to debate. If you don't tow the PC-Party line about 'Bad Israel', you'll likely find yourself out of a job in academia. One thing I *do* know, due to my stay in academia, is that academia is very far from the *real world*. Mainly it's theory. Facts are filtered via whatever is needed to keep the grants (money) rolling in. It's not apparent, until one is out of academia, how very closed-minded academics can be. It can be shocking really to see how out of touch many academics can be from what's really going on in the world.

...those in academe as well as NGOs who set out to undermine Israel's very existence by siding with and financially and politically supporting those whose declared goals and actual deeds focus on Israel's annihilation. Israel and Israelis - Jews - also have the right to live and to do so in their own nation-state, Israel, unlike the thinking of some, within and without the "intellectual" circles of our world. Im Tirtzu is a glorious example of patriotism and refusal to submit to that which is "politically correct" among those abroad who question the legitimacy of Israel as the national home of the Jewish people.

In my head, without knowing it, I almost substituted "right" with "left"... Especially in the first paragraph : "a small, inconsequential (but rich) minority on the extreme right?" As far as everyone knows, the small, incosquential and rich minority is on the extreme left. Wether it's in the university, in the media or in attacks like the "protestion" in front of a cermonial at a memorial wednesday, they don't stop from attacking every fundement of the very existence of Israel.

“For decades we have stood by and watched as government after government denied democratic freedoms to the millions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation – in the name of preserving the democratic and Jewish character of Israel.” Israel has failed to preserve and promote the “Jewish character of Israel”. How can Israel be a ‘Jewish nation’ when Judaism isn’t even the official religion in Israel? How can Israel be a ‘Jewish nation’ when it contains radically different Jewish memes within the same society, each thinking that they are the ‘real deal’? How can Israel be a ‘Jewish nation’ when it doesn’t even have recognized borders/capital city? In short Israel is a confused, racist country with no clear cut path ahead of it. Israel will have to decide between a ‘democratic nation’ and a ‘Jewish nation’ as you cannot have both.

THERE FOR THEY LOOK LIKE THEY QUESTION THEMSELF BUT IN FACT THEY ARE UNHAPPY . THEY ARE NOT A FAMILY. all they care their own lives. all they care their own futures.

NIF grantee Mada al-Carmel ($200,000 in 2008) calls for a “change in the definition of the State of Israel from a Jewish state,” and the implementation of the Palestinian “right of return”, meaning the end of Jewish self-determination. NIF grantee B’Tselem’s ($357,569 in 2008) Jessica Montell: "I think the word apartheid is useful for mobilizing people because of its emotional power. In some cases, the situation in the West Bank is worse than apartheid in South Africa." 8 NIF grantees (combined total $2.2 million in 2008) submitted a joint statement to Goldstone alleging “human rights violations for which Israel must be held accountable.” Officials from one grantee, PCATI, gave anti-Israel testimony before Goldstone. 6 NIF grantees (combined total $477,974 in 2008) successfully petitioned the Norwegian Pension Fund to divest from Israeli firms. NIF grantee Adalah ($510,150 in 2008) submitted a legal opinion to a Spanish court in support of a lawfare case against Israeli officials. There's a line between legitimate criticism of Israel, and support for groups that delegitimize it.NIF has Crossed the Line. For detailed information on NIF-funded delegitimization of Israel, visit: www.ngo-monitor.org/nif

The left is more anti democratic than the right. They demonize the right and they also censor opinion of the right in some Israeli papers. If the left wants more respect stop trying to be agents of foreign governments and stop taking foreign government funds. Also stop demonizing Israel abroad. http://ralphsrant1.blogspot.com

Why don't you simply address the issues rather than demonize. If you haven't learned that demonizing is the approach of anti-Semities which they have been practicing for the past 3000 years, you shouldn't be teaching. I am of none of the groups which mention as trying to muzzle free speech, but an aware of the pernicious effects that extreme attacks on Israeli society WITHOUT PROVIDING THE APPROPRIATE CONTEXT have in the United States, especially on our youth who are not intimately familiar with Israeli society. Galia Golan, why don't you simply make your points about the issues and let the debates begin?

Golan is from America, a founder of subversive Peace Now and has built herself an ivory tower of "Women's Studies" within Israeli academe. WS is a political field dominated by lesbians with an axe to grind against traditonal Judaism, The Ford Foundation funds all manner of subversive NGOs against Israel and Golan knows where her bread is buttered and how to find fellow lesbian girlfriends. Thid is a business for the Left, the wannabe Stalinists, gays, anti-Semites, kapos, mentsal delinquents all of whom can live off the tenured dole of our universities. It is bullying of the first order and relies on Saudi fuinding that is laundered thru EU NGO's. These people want to promote the fascists of Hamas, Hezbollah, the PLO not for concerns of real peace (all these groups murder gays), but find a power base by being so egregiously bnoxious to the normal part of society that they are always in the news advancing their careers at the expense of the rest of us. This is why Im Tirtzu and Isracampus are so necessary, to reveal what really goes on with this movement.

"Oh, poor us. We are the innocent morality just trying to go good, and you WILL come to OUR understanding". Stalin would be so proud.

Israel is not s democracy. Saudi Arabia and other friends fund left-wingers, anarchists, etc.