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Der Spiegel: Israel a corrupt country
Dor Glick
Published: 26.04.10, 11:17
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29 Talkbacks for this article
1. Actually, this all is QUITE NORMAL.
John ,   Europe   (04.26.10)
I live within one nation in Europe that is SMALL (in numbers) and that was dominated by other nation for the most of the history. Like Jews, they wanted independence. And gained it quite recently. The similarity between this nation and Israel is astonishing and I will put out a bold claim: the corruption is the way of living of small nations that were dominated by big nations. Hence, it was their DEFENSE MECHANISM. Why? Because small nations had to be shut in itself as much as possible to prevent assimilation. Their states were under control by other, stronger states, that sought to assimilate them in their mist. Hence, members of the small nation gave in their everyday business and life advantage to their co-nationals, no matter if they were capable or not: it was simply a defense mechanism to prevent entrance of dominate nation in their mists and to prevent assimilation. By establishing new states, so long wanted, this defense mechanism becomes trouble - there is no more assimilation prevention, but PEOPLE ARE STILL ACTING THIS WAY! Hence, you have various corruption affairs. I think that in time, this all will decrease, when people of this nation as well as Israel FINALLY REALIZE THAT THESE STATES ARE REAL! These nations will have to pass a stage of "cleaning frustrations", so to say, but it will in the end be normal.
2. And so is the nature of GODS CHOSEN PEOPLE
Peter ,   Vienna-Austria   (04.26.10)
3. :: #1 - John - So what you are saying...
Matty Groves ,   Fairport   (04.26.10)
...is that, like Israel, corruption in the PA is quite normal?
4. corruption is not normal....
Dana Rothschild ,   Jerusalem, Israel   (04.26.10)
but we see it not only in Israel... we see it in Germany, in PA, in Austria and what Obama did in only one year in USA, is corruption par excellence.... so take it easy.... they will pay for it, what I can't say about the governor of Louisiana for example....
5. Those sitting near the cash register
Joe   (04.26.10)
get a first crack at it. Corrupt politicians?--- Normal politicians? -- All countries ? --- You bet. Most aspiring politicians, when they start getting into it seriously, have humble beginnings. When retiring, most are wealthy or very rich. Take the mother of them all, America. At about 178.000$ (average), plus perks, retirement " plans", they are not doing badly , since it can double their income. When one rakes in millions or more, while those who elected him wait for the ' kitchen soup' to open, then something is out of wack. Israel is not different. A Dankner, a Benizri, a Holmer, Sharon and many others are of the same caliber. People do not elect an individual who is capable to take care of them or their countries. They elect a group, a party, a gang if you will, who takes care of it's own first: in jobs, high position, fat salary, perks and more. The rest? well, we shall see. If one of our" banquer" takes in 1.5 million a month, with the approval of a board he picked, while millions of us who, again those who are paying the exorbitant fees that helps sustain this life of luxury, then those politicians we elected are not working for us. The work for THEM.
6. All "Israeli" governments are corrupt
Salma ,   Palestine   (04.26.10)
Cause they are all encouraged settlements, and wasted a lot of money, then what? Demolish it !! this happened in Sinai and Gaza and this will happen again in Palestine and the Golan Heights
7. All countries are corrupt to some degree
Swiss   (04.26.10)
Most European nations have less corrupt politicians than Israel. But a country doesn't just consist of politicians. Corruption can exist in all spheres of society. I don't think Israeli businessmen are more corrupt than their European counterparts.
8. der Spiegel, Germany and corruption
shasis ,   Berlin   (04.26.10)
Germany "incredibly corrupt": Experts try to grasp the true size of bribery and fraud in public health. The annual damage should amount to 13.5 billions of Euro through dishonesty in the medicine business. Now, that is what I call "genuine corruption"
9. salma ,you might get your PA with it's own problems but
anonymous ,   golan heights israel   (04.26.10)
Israel will never give up the golan the syrians have to pay MILLIONS to even have the druze there say "herp derp syria" once while more and more apply for israeli citizenship. eventually countries will start recognizing it and the land that was given illegally to the inventors of your nation , the syrians will be pernamently israeli while syria will be a 3rd world nation for 100 years + squatting more land in the levant until they will collapse or something.
10. scandinavian....
faysal ,   dubai   (04.26.10)
countries are the only non corrupt countries in the world. everything else wreaks with curroption
11. And it is frustrating to speak about this issues in English
John ,   Europe   (04.26.10)
And this is not my native, so I am afraid I am not totally understood. I apologize.
12. Der Spiegel
Harold ,   nNY, USA   (04.26.10)
Der Spiegel forget Netanyahu's investivation when he and his wife kept gifts given to them by foreign governments when he was Prime Minister in the 1990's. All their leaders are corrupt and most probably are misusing the 3 Billion dollars they get from the US taxpayers every year.
13. Corruption
Jonathan ,   Montreal, Canada   (04.26.10)
This is what happens when there are no limits on government power. If Israel were to keep its government lean through adopt conservative principles, it would be less riddled with corruption.
14. corruption
Ilana   (04.26.10)
It is disgusting, this is true. I can assume that others places are about as corrupt. Everyone knows that Arafat was super corrupt but so are many others as well. Hoping for improvement...
15. i am a German speaker, but did not found the article
uli ,   israel   (04.26.10)
16. in Israel things only get public since it is a MORAL country
uli ,   israeli   (04.26.10)
in Germany the things get "under the carpet", as German say. Look just on former Kanzler Schroeder! He did in his government time a huge deal with Russia on Oil and Gas, which looked not quite rentable to Germany. The moment he went out of politics he had a big position with BIG money just in the Russian corporation that got the deal. Phony SPIEGEL!
17. yes - this "corruption" thing is huge
AY_Lamb ,   Globestan   (04.26.10)
American DoD has learned a lot about the topic. When we first went into Afghanistan and Iraq the learning curve was high. We so unapologetically labeled Iraqis and Afghans as self-absorbed salvages in dire need of xitian principles and values; just to stop exploiting one another. Imagine how surprised we were to learn that our values (under closer inspection) mirror theirs?? we just we just call ours "cronie capitalism" well sometimes mixed with "crisis capitalism". Sounds so much more sophisticated than say "tribalism" or Hawlawa or Riba or some other primitive "Islamo" terminology, doesn't it?
18. Closed doors in German Govt.Corruption
Roland Seener ,   London England   (04.26.10)
We are no more orrupt than others,though regarding ourselves as a "Holy People" we shouldn"t be.We are an open society that does not over up its proscutions to accomodate those in Power.The faults of Human Nature are fully exposed when discovered.Are we not more open than Germany ? It takes a lot of people to kill 6 million Jews,and how many have been executed or incarcerated for this heinous crime ? I remember the scenes at a Nurenbourg Rally,their many Eichmann"s that have not faced the onsquences..Der Spiegel is a fine one to talk..Let it turn inwards and investigate the war-criminals that have submerged their identitie like a chameleone that chanes the colour of its skin to suit.How can financial crime equate with murderous crime,and Holocaust dimunition being a trviality ? When I get a suitable answer, to these questions I might swing my biased opinion and might then say Israel is a corrupt country.
19. Matty Groves from Fairport
Ronnie ,   Israel   (04.26.10)
Am I the only one who noticed that "Matty Groves" is the name of a song from the album "Fairport"?. I guess that his name is not the only thing phony about "Matty", the Jew-hater.
20. Compared to what?
Danny M ,   Vancouver, Canada   (04.26.10)
Germany has a lot of room to talk. As if we'd all forgotten.
21. # 19
Birdi ,   Israel   (04.26.10)
Ronnie, its OK, we have all noticed,,,, simply take Matty with a pinch of salt !
22. Salma when you roof is of Glass, beware to stones throwing
Ari ,   Romania   (04.26.10)
At least in Israel the corruption, even of PM s is Jodged and sentenced. While de PA, the UNRWA, and all Palestinian insitutes are corrupted to their teeth. The Billions of Dollars given by the PA from Europe,USA includes sometimes from Israel, has mostly been waisted. How your people live is not because of the occupation is because of your leaders corrption. Small exampme Suha Arafat. Living in big apartments in Paris expending more 50.000 dollars per month, while Pls are living in slums. The Hamas Leadership expending thosand in Damascus and yje people in Gaza starving. The Hamas authority traffiking in Currency is getting richer day by day. "Demolish Settlements"..In Gza Israel left Green Houses producing milliuons of Shekels. What Palestinins did ws to destroy green houses and turn them into terrorist training camps. YOU WANT MORE CORRUPTION? You have a big problem Salma. I dont know who you are. Woman, Man, Young or Old? What I know is you are a pathological lier that believes her own lies. As well as the lies of your leaders. A completaly pathological antiisraeli, a twister of History and much more. I think you need a shrink
23. I agree with Uli 16 100% There might be corruption in Israel
Ari ,   Romania   (04.26.10)
But there is High Moras, Things go Public. They dont go under the carpet like in Germany. They bribe not only there but in every country were they make business. They bribe to get the Bids. A few days ago a sacandal broke out in Colombia with a German Company for trying to bribe ministerial officers.And this is the Tip of the ICEBERG in Europe. Look at Italia, and Spain. Israel is a Joke., compare to Europe.
24. John #11. Even if you have trouble
Joe ,   Ohio, USA   (04.26.10)
with your English you made more sense than some who speak it every day. Practice makes perfect, keep trying
25. Germany and Saddam Hussein
israeli ,   israel   (04.26.10)
Am I the only one who remembers German support of Saddam Hussein?
26. Shame on our leadership
David ,   NJ USA   (04.26.10)
I miss Meir,Begin,Shamir and of course Ben Gurion. Lately we have children, not statesmen and our situation is so serious. I don't know how this happened but our future is not in the best of hands
27. Der Spiegle
Hal ,   USA   (04.27.10)
A voice from the graveyard of the soul? Dead men talking.
28. Remember Saddam Hussein..
hacivat   (04.28.10)
..when he was offering $ 25.000.- cheque to the murderer of a Jew . To all these Salma , Tayfun or Karagozoglu one sided...
29. Der Spigel
J.K. ,   Brooklyn USA   (04.28.10)
Der Spigel should look itself in the spiegel,does Israel have more criminals in prison, relative to it's population than Germany ?,The great Helmot Coll who did the imposible,to unite the 2 Germanies, was accused of taking illegally money for his election campaign,and left politics,a country should not be judged by how many individuals are indicted,but how a sistem handles corruption,in this regard Israel comes out quite good.
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