90% say Israel tainted with corruption

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Ninety percent of the Israeli public thinks that the country is tainted with corruption and over half say that corruptibility is a necessary prerequisite to success in the political sphere, according to the Israeli Democracy Institute's (IDI) annual Democracy Index, which was submitted Tuesday to President Shimon Peres.

The findings reflect a "growing mistrust of government institutions and strong anti-political feelings, together with a demand for the state to improve its functioning and resume its position as the main player in the political-social-economic arena," the report said.

Only nine percent of those polled said that Israel has very little corruption, and only one in a hundred said that the country was entirely corruption-free.

In general, the Israeli public is displaying a growing indifference to politics, the survey found, with only 60 percent showing interest in politics and only 43 percent admitting to discussing politics with their friends and family - down from 73 percent in 2006.

The survey found that for the first time in many years, the public did not rate the Supreme Court as the top institution safeguarding democracy in Israel. Only 49 percent of those polled expressed their trust in the Supreme Court, as opposed to 61 percent in 2007.

The study also gauged the public's assessment of various institutions, placing the IDF at the head of the list of institutions which the public trusts the most at 71 percent. Confidence in the president rose from 22 percent in 2007 to 47 percent. Approval of the police fell significantly, from 41 percent in 2007 to 33 percent.

A meager 17 percent expressed trust in the prime minister.

The survey found that the public's general level of satisfaction with Israeli democracy rose to 43 percent - up from 34 percent in the 2007 index. The survey also showed that a sizeable majority - 80 percent - of citizens is very proud to be Israeli, and 83 percent said that they want to continue living in Israel in the long term.

"It should be pointed out that these findings primarily attest to an emotional loyalty to the state and homeland, and less to respondents' feelings about the present situation," the report said.

"We are in a very dangerous situation," IDI head Dr. Arik Carmon said. "Israelis are turning their back on politics, rejecting politicians and expressing no-confidence in central institutions, to an extent that endangers Israeli politics."

"Elected officials must realize that they are serving the public rather than themselves," Peres said and called on the younger generation to go into politics and purge the political sphere "from the inside." He also called for a regional election system that would ensure the election of students in the general elections.

Labor MK Ophir Pines lashed out at Justice Minister Daniel Freidmann, claiming that it was the latter's far-reaching proposals for reforming the Supreme Court which could account for the public's mistrust of the institution.

"The findings show that the judicial branch is under a tangible existential threat," Pines said. "Over the past year the justice minister has succeeded in destroying trust and prestige that were accrued over dozens of years."

Pines warned that Friedmann was "endangering Israeli democracy" and called for the justice minister's ouster. "This is a sad day for the rule of law and democracy in Israel," he said. "Those who aspired to weaken� the judiciary can be pleased with themselves."
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"The conversion of the entire population to Islam and the extinction of every form of dissent is the ideal of the Muslim State - This is Islamic Peace"

A moderate Moslem is one who sends others blow themselves up.