Founded in 1996, Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) is committed primarily to opposing Zionism and to boycotting and libeling the Jewish state. Not content to defend those who disguise their hatred of Jews as hatred of Israel, it has also defended such figures as Louis Farrakhan. Miriam Elman provides a history of the group, and demonstrates that is has undergone a disturbing transformation: originally, it merely provided cover for other anti-Zionist groups, effectively saying, “We’re Jewish and we have no problem with them.” But more recently, Elman argues, it has become an engine of anti-Semitic propaganda, most notably the canard that Israel trains U.S. policemen to abuse African Americans, a claim that has made its way to such prominent Israel-haters as the Muslim activist Linda Sarsour and Temple University’s Marc Lamont Hill.

In a particularly telling episode, JVP activists recently found themselves protesting alongside white supremacists at a pro-Israel event held at a San Antonio church. (Video, 65 minutes.)

The central topic of debate in Israel now is the new coalition government’s proposed reforms of the nation’s judiciary and unwritten constitution. Peter Berkowitz agrees that reform is necessary, but that “the proper scope and pace of reform, however, are open to debate and must be carefully calibrated.”

In particular, Berkowitz argues,

to preserve political cohesiveness, substantial changes to the structure of the Israeli regime must earn support that extends beyond these partisan divisions.

In a deft analysis of the conservative spirit in Israel, bestselling author Micah Goodman warns in the Hebrew language newspaper Makor Rishon that unintended consequences flowing from the constitutional counterrevolution are likely to intensify political instability. When a center-left coalition returns to power, Goodman points out, it may well repeal through a simple majority vote the major changes Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition seeks to enact. Or it may use the legislature’s expanded powers, say, to ram through laws that impair the religious liberty of the ultra-Orthodox. Either way, in a torn nation, constitutional counterrevolution amplifies division.

Conservatives make a compelling case that balance must be restored to the separation of powers in Israel. A prudent concern for the need to harmonize Israel’s free, democratic, and Jewish character counsels deliberation in the pursuit of necessary constitutional reform.