Transparency International’s 2021 Corruption Perceptions Index has given Israel its worst-ever score in the global rankings of how countries deal with government graft, Israeli media reported on Tuesday.
Israel is ranked 36th out of 180 countries in the 2021 report, after ranking 28th five years ago, according to the Times of Israel.
My latest: #Netanyahu’s potential plea deal reflects #Israel’s bigger picture https://t.co/L0BOckjgCT pic.twitter.com/ywoq2IAM0G
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) January 26, 2022
The rankings are derived from each country’s “perceived levels of public sector corruption according to experts and businesspeople” based on data collected from 13 organizations, including the World Bank, the World Economic Forum, and Freedom House.
Nili Arad, the chairwoman of Transparency International Israel, was reported as saying that this year’s index “indicates that the phenomenon of corruption in Israel is strengthening.”
If you are corrupt even by apartheid #Israel's standards, then you are REALLY corrupt. https://t.co/5SVCZCugZQ via @PalestineChron
— Ramzy Baroud (@RamzyBaroud) January 18, 2022
Arad said that the phenomenon is particularly concerning in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, “when an extra measure of transparency is needed as protection against harming the foundations of democracy.”
In 2019, former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was indicted for bribery, fraud and breach of trust. Netanyahu was said earlier this week to have rejected the claim that he is set to agree on a plea bargain with prosecutors.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
