Israel edging closer to red line in key corruption index three years in a row
Israel ended up in the lower third of the ranking for OECD states in a gradual downwards slide
Israel has been ranked 35th in the world on corruption in a fresh index released by Transparency International on Thursday.
In the previous index, issued in 2019, Israel stood at the 35th place, and in 2018 -- 32nd, representing a gradual downwards slide over the past three years that brings Israel closer and closer to 50th place. seen as the key red line marking the point at which corruption becomes highly problematic.
In the latest Corruption Perception Index, Israel stands below the UAE and Qatar; in the OECD index, it ended up in the lower half, on the 24th out of 36 places.
According to Nili Arad, the chair of Transparency International in Israel, as cited by the Times of Israel, the Jewish state is not a corrupt country per se -- but it is going through “no easy days.”
He also lamented the eroding trust into Israel's state institutions and democracy in a reference to the three graft cases against caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Following the announcement of his indictments by Israel's Attorney General, a fuming Netanyahu demanded to investigate the investigators and dismissed the cases as a witch hunt.
Later on, he backtracked on the firebrand statements, pledging to stand by the decision of the court.