margin-right:0in">The main reason for this gradual build-up of stature was the absence of a constitution. In the country’s seminal legal document, the May 14, 1948 Declaration of Independence, Israel’s founders called for the drafting of a constitution within six months. But in the ensuing chaos of the country’s struggle to fend off invading Arab armies, the deadline passed.

     Two years later, lawmakers fought bitterly over the nature of a potential constitution. Secular representatives wanted the document to reflect the legal values of Western liberal democracies, while religious lawmakers insisted that the Torah and halakhic (Jewish legal) tradition should serve as the basis for the legal system of the Jewish state. Failing to reach a consensus, the lawmakers decided the constitution woul...

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