“Law…exists if it is externally guaranteed by the probability of coercion (physical or psychological) to bring about conformity or avenge violation, and is applied by a staff of people holding themselves specially ready for that purpose.”
Max Weber
I know this article will cause many people to be angry, but the truth is that Israel is one of the most corrupt countries in the developed world today. This is a fact and it’s not in dispute, but the nuances are very different. The reasons why we have so much corruption, and where the corruption is generally found, are very different from the rest of the world.
In a glimpse through the different lists on the Internet regarding corruption, we will find Somalia at the top of the list with the likes of North Korea and Afghanistan following, but surprisingly not one of them has included Israel in their list.
The sacred cow (or “Para Kedusha” in Hebrew):
It is easy to be corrupt in Israel because many organizations such as the IDF, the Police force or the Supreme Tribunal see themselves to be immune from question or criticism. This is not a basis on which the international lists judge countries.
Definition and need for Law:
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior. This is why laws resemble morality. They are designed to control or alter our behavior.
Laws are not only designed to govern our conduct, but they are also intended to effect social policies created for the benefit of the population. Laws are supposed to protect basic individual rights and freedoms, but when distorted (in the name of the law), these corrupt laws do just the opposite – they diminish individual liberty and benefit only an elite few, but not the general population.
The law also serves to ensure that strong groups and individuals do not use their powerful positions in society to take unfair advantage of weaker individuals. In Israel, the law has become the most powerful and secure way for these strong groups to take unfair advantage of the power they hold – the power of control in the branches of government – Legislative, Judicial and Executive.
What is corruption?
Corruption is the use of public power for private gain. The more corrupt the country, the more government officials will abuse their power, using the law as a tool. Corruption can take many different forms, but always has the same result – corruption will cause more corruption and bring more disarray and damage to society.
Corruption can take the form of bribery, extortion or the misappropriation of public funds. In Israel, there is an additional form of corruption: the improper and illegal influence by public servants, politicians or even private interest groups (lobbies) for self-enrichment or any other form of application of the law in order to receive personal benefits. In my opinion, corruption is more likely to be found in the government than in the private sector!
The question posed now is what can we do as a nation, in order to bring remedy to our society?
Checks and balances:
We need checks and balances in order to limit excessive government power, and to subject the government power to legal restraints. This will ensure that no single branch of government is able to exercise unchecked power which is exactly what is happening today in Israel.
Transparency and Courage:
An excellent tool that has evolved from checks and balances is the transparency tool, which allows outsiders to see what is happening internally.
In Israel, we lack basic transparency and we lack the courage to tell and admit the truth. We rarely demand any transparency from the government, but when we do, the excuses for why it cannot happen are almost always the same: “For the public’s best interest”, “For the sake of security”, “For the sake of privacy”. We just let the government get away with these answers, thinking they are providing security to the country.
Many of our government agencies are guilty of failing to provide transparency, including the police, army (IDF), (lately – mainly the police and the IDF), tax authorities, ministries and many others.
Corruption in Israel is mainly practiced in the high echelons of business and government:
By letting corruption go unpunished, we are enabling our enemies. It weakens our society. It drains our resources and creates an irreparable gap between the poor and the rich. The rich become richer and the poor become poorer.
For the sake of our hard-working citizens who are struggling to survive on inadequate salaries, raise their families, and contribute to the well-being of society, it’s time to kill the cow!
Accountability, Responsibility & Integrity:
I wish I had a magic formula for how to kill these “sacred cows”, but we are all responsible, we all should speak out, write letters of complaint, ask our representatives in parliament what they are doing to fight corruption. Don’t be intimidated by anyone, even those “high ranking” people or civil servants.
We have the power and the moral obligation not to be quiet when we know something wrong is going on.
Last but not least, on “ballot day” vote the corrupt politicians out of office!
