Israelis fed up with scandals

Olmert’s corruption scandal has been front page news for weeks, but it’s hardly unusual. This analyst says all countries have crooked politicians, but Israel has had an ignoble year. The partial list includes Israel’s former President, the Finance Minister, and the son of former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in jail for corruption of finance laws. This analyst says the anti-political sentiment has grown to extraordinary heights in Israel. Olmert’s taste for luxury goods seems tame compared to other world leaders, but it’s a long way from Israel’s founding generations. This analyst diagnoses the problem as two-fold: an election process which allows voters to select a party list rather than a local representative. This begets cronyism because politicians feel loyalty to their party and not their constituents. The other aspect is what he calls the suicidal crusading of the prosecutor’s office, aided and abetted by the press.