The sole democracy in the Middle East is often described as a merit for Israel. It is said that it was established on democratic principles, such as regard for basic liberties and human rights.
Israel runs elections on a regular basis and maintains that its democratic government depends on the rule of law, justice, and the growth of all human rights, including the freedom of speech, the right to education, and the right to knowledge.
All of these principles should make a state a beacon of democracy and wealth, yet Israel is not such a country. Anyone with knowledge of the current situation would see that it is an absurdity to refer to Israel as a democracy.
During a June tour to Israel, Ursula von der Leyen, the head of the European Commission, remarked, “The biggest tie we have is our trust in democracy and in democratic ideals. Over the years, democracy has cemented our unique connection,” she continued. “Democracies like Europe and Israel should cooperate more closely than ever before.”
But many who monitor Israel’s daily news broadcasts are unsure of the type of democracy von der Leyen is talking about. Apart from the violations of human rights, genocides, and war crimes committed by the apartheid state against the Palestinians, Israeli leaders of the so-called “democratic state” are also violating the law flagrantly and violating human rights.
In History
Consider the current inquiry into the controversial revelations about David Govrin, the Israeli ambassador to Morocco, who was sent back to Israel “because of charges of sexual assault, extortion, and bribery,” according to the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth.
The most severe charge, according to Israeli media, was that “a senior Israeli official” at the embassy had sexually abused many local women. This was in addition to the stealing of a “valuable gift” from the Moroccan Royal Court.
The Foreign Ministry is also looking into claims that Yair Lapid, the prime minister, and other high Israeli officials were sponsored by an Israeli businessman who does not hold any official positions. Without any ties to the Israeli government, this businessman set up meetings between senior Israeli officials and their Moroccan peers.
In Israel, there are many instances of public servants mistreating women, stealing public money, and misusing their positions for personal gain—from presidents to their housekeepers.
Moshe Katsav, Israel’s eighth president, was sentenced to seven years behind bars and served five of them before being freed in 2016. He had been convicted of raping a female worker at the tourism ministry while he was a minister in the 1990s and inappropriately touching two other women while he was president between 2000 and 2007.
It was a “sad day for the State of Israel and its residents” when the Israeli court upheld the accusations against Katsav in 2010, but then-Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has been charged in many corruption scandals, praised the Israeli legal system. He stated that one of the messages was “all are equal before the law,” adding that “today the court delivered two clear-cut statements.”
The opposition leader and incumbent prime minister of Israel will seek for the office in October’s fifth election in four years. He now leads the opposition. The allegations of corruption against him haven’t had much of an impact on his popularity, and he’s still the candidate to defeat in the next elections.
