Freedom of political expression in Israel with regard to the Israeli-Arab conflict, especially with regard to Israeli policy toward Palestinians, has always been precarious, especially for the Palestinian citizens of Israel. It shouldn’t be surprising: In societies that contain widespread nationalistic tendencies, as is sadly the case in Israel, war and national tragedies create the perfect environment for witch hunts and the accelerated branding of critics and minorities as enemies from within. The suppression of speech and targeting of critics of Israel’s policy toward the conflict has always had a strategic goal. Crushing dissent and eliminating the political force of Palestinian citizens of Israel are crucial conditions that must be met to achieve that goal. Michael Sfard is an Israeli human rights lawyer and the author of “The Wall and the Gate: Israel, Palestine and the Legal Battle for Human Rights.”

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Persons: Nurit Peled, Jean, Paul Sartre, “, Ms, Elhanan, Sakharov, —, ”, Itamar Ben, Benjamin Netanyahu, Castigating, they’ve, Israel Frey, Frey, Michael Sfard Organizations: Legal Center, Arab, Rights, Academia, Equality, Education, Israel Police, Twitter, police, Human Rights Locations: Jerusalem, French, Israel, Gaza, Haifa, Umm, Jordan, Palestine