The Israeli government is mired in corruption scandals and ineptness, writes Mel Frykberg The Israeli government has relished pointing out the endemic corruption in the Arab world, particularly the nepotism and cronyism that had permeated the Palestinian Authority, especially when it was controlled by Fatah. However, in the last few years, numerous cases of corruption in the Israeli government from the highest office of the president, to many MKs down to ordinary civil servants have been making headlines. "It would appear that the Israeli government has truly become a member of the Arab world and joined the Middle East's corruption club, where nepotism and a lack of transparency are endemic," says Emad Gad, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. At the beginning of the year, former Israeli president Moshe Katsav made international headlines when he was suspended from office following charges of sexual assault, perjury and intimidation of a witness. Ten years ago, Israel was listed 10th in an honesty league compiled by Transparency International, an anti-corruption group based in Berlin. It has now fallen to 34th place. The Israeli government is also becoming increasingly unpopular with Israelis as growing numbers of them accuse it of being both corrupt and inept. According to a recent survey carried out in Israel, more than three-quarters of the public are not satisfied with Israel's political leadership. Columnist Nehemia Strasler, from the Israeli daily Haaretz opined, "our political system is sick. It suffers from the plague of political appointments that defile everything they touch. When attempted changes were made in 1992 to reform the conditions for becoming a member of Ariel Sharon's Likud Party it appeared that suddenly it wasn't worthwhile to be a central committee member anymore and many members deserted as the attempt to introduce political appointments based on integrity kicked in," stated Strasler. Present dissatisfaction reached an all-time high following the domestic fallout and political infighting after the debacle of the Lebanon War. Political divisions within Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima Party were exacerbated, and led to the former Israeli chief of staff, Dan Halutz, being forced to resign. At the outbreak of the war Halutz quickly sold his stock market shares, worried that the war would effect their value. The semi-government-appointed Winograd Commission recently completed preliminary investigations into the mismanagement of the Lebanon War and the tactical and military blunders associated with it. So sensitive were the findings that the Israeli army petitioned the court against the release of the report's interim findings but several MKs have appealed to the high court to overturn the suppression with the final conclusions of the commission expected in June. Defence Minister Amir Peretz has also been asked repeatedly to resign but has insisted he is up to the job even though he doesn't have a military background and his former career involved leading the Histadrut or Israeli labour union. "It appears that there has been a major crisis of confidence in the Israeli government following the assassination of Yitzhak Rabin, who was regarded by many Israelis as a competent leader who could both lead Israel towards peace while safeguarding its security with his military background. Now there appears to be no competent military men to run the country and that worries a country so dependent on its military to provide both political leadership and security," explains Gad. As the ferocious blood letting between Israel and its northern neighbour was being unleashed last year former justice minister Haim Ramon had more important things on his mind in the form of unwanted advances towards a young female soldier. Ramon was last month found guilty of committing an indecent act against a woman when he forcibly kissed and fondled the young soldier against her will. Ramon at least had the maturity to admit that his behaviour was inappropriate, which is more than can be said for Katzav. Tiny, pitiful Katzav was anything but contrite during a televised appearance to the nation following the charges. Despite accusing the media of being involved in a massive conspiracy against him he was happy to use their services to spew venom and bile for nearly an hour as he raged on television, against the media, the police and everybody else, with the exception of God and his wife Gila, charging all and sundry of being responsible for the predicament he was in. The inability to take responsibility for personal bad behaviour seems to be a common thread running through Israel's political establishment -- an attitude reinforced by a culture increasingly lacking transparency at the highest levels. Further down the line of command, Olmert is also under investigation for "conflict of interests" deals which occurred while he was finance minister under Sharon. The premier took an active role in the privatisation of Bank Leumi, one of Israel's major banks. Olmert claimed that the amendments he was promoting in the tender were designed to change the make-up of the investors taking part in the bid but in reality they were designed to help a personal friend of his, Australian estate magnate Frank Lowy. Police were also investigating several other affairs, including the purchase of a home by Olmert in Jerusalem's German Colony neighbourhood, alleged political appointments in the Small Businesses Authority, and fraud and breach of faith regarding his treatment of former law partner Ori Messer. However, the most serious recent offence involves Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson. He is suspected of taking a cut of hundreds of thousands of shekels from his close associate, Ovadia Cohen, who allegedly embezzled as much as 10 million New Israeli Shekels (NIS) from an organisation that operated educational institutions under the umbrella of the National Labour Federation in Eretz Yisrael, which Hirchson headed. These latest suspects join an already long list of elected officials who are either on trial, under police investigation or under a cloud of suspicion for improper conduct. Other elected officials under police investigation include Avigdor Lieberman, from the Israeli Beiteinu Party, for alleged illegal business ties in Russia, former agriculture minister, Yisrael Katz of Likud for fraud and breach of trust over alleged political appointments at the ministry; and Ruhama Avraham from the ruling Kadima over allegations of bribery, fraud, and breach of trust. And being devoutly religious hasn't stopped Israeli ministers from boarding the gravy train either. Aryeh Deri, an orthodox Jew and the former leader of Israel's ultra religious Shas Party was found guilty of taking $155,000 in bribes while serving as interior minister, and sentenced to three years in jail. He is now considering running again with strong backing from his many supporters in the orthodox community. This community in Israel is accused by the majority of secular Israelis of being especially corrupt. This is because any serving Israeli government is heavily dependent on their votes to gain and remain in power and that explains why it is economically heavily subsidised by successive governments. Ultra Orthodox Jews are also able to avoid compulsory national service on the grounds of religious beliefs, a fact that causes major resentment amongst the majority of secular Israelis who have to not only foot the tax bills to support the various financial packages handed out to this privileged community, but also bear the brunt of Israel's security. Meanwhile Israel is continuing to contravene international law as it steams ahead in its efforts to Judaise East Jerusalem in contravention of international law. This is in the hope of halting the demographic threat of being outnumbered by Palestinians, with their higher birth rate, and then having to give them equal rights as would be incumbent upon any country which calls itself a democracy. To further this goal, the Jewish state has been involved in secret negotiations with the Greek Orthodox Church, one of the wealthiest and biggest non-Jewish landowners in the country. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate has in its possession vast assets, which it has accumulated in the 1,700 years of its presence in the Holy Land. Tzachi Hanegbi, a former minister of internal security and a former minister in Sharon's coalition government responsible for church affairs, held a number of clandestine meetings last year with the Greek Patriarch of Jerusalem, "His Beatitude" Theophilus. Hanegbi has been helping the Jewish organisation Ateret Cohanim, which promotes settlement of Jews in and around the Old City, to purchase property owned by Muslims in order to increase the number of Jews in the Old City. In return Israel stated it would recognise Theophilus as the patriarch as long as he promised to sign off on a deal purchasing three hotels in the Old City.
