Comparing Sharon and Ramon

Everyone analyzes the issue of Moshe Katsav's guilt without really knowing the facts – and long before the investigation was exhausted.

It's true that we cannot expect too much proper conduct or fairness from the Knesset's House Committee chairwoman, as she's merely an elected official and every newspaper headline, even if ludicrous, could score her some points in the eyes of her constituency, even though her party (Kadima) has no primaries or institutions – it has nothing.

But things must look and sound differently when high ranking public servants, such as Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, publicly address questions related to the roots of Israel's law enforcement system's credibility.

The contempt to Moshe Katsav's dignity in fact hurts each one of the country's residents, and we must assume that many are thinking to themselves: If this is how a president is treated, how do those people treat regular Israelis?

It is indeed regrettable that the attorney general of all people keeps on falling into potholes that continue to gnaw at the credibility of the system of government still in place around here.

The announcement he made, for example, in the affair involving Haim Ramon was certainly undignified. The crude manner in which the case against the justice minister was concocted can be spotted by any teenager. Just like the manner in which the case known as "the Greek Island" against former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was closed.

Public must demand system cleanup

The state prosecutor at the time, Edna Arbel, already prepared a draft of the indictment against Sharon, after top officials summarized the apparent evidence. I know those people personally – none of them would have dared draft an indictment against a serving prime minister, with all the immense implications of this, were they not deeply convinced it was the right thing to do.

The shelving of the indictment against Sharon left a stain that will not be erased for many years to come. I assume the great urgency with which the indictment against Haim Ramon was prepared also does not contribute to the dented image of the justice system on its various branches.

So what else needs to happen so that the "choice" made by former Justice Minister Yosef Lapid will disappear along with Shinui, Omri Sharon, and the other senior officials they left being them – such as the police chief, army chief, and other shady characters that Sharon's "Ranch Forum" promoted?

The Vinograd commission of inquiry certainly will not look into the decline we experienced during those bad years, and therefore the entire public must unite around the demand to clean up the system.

We shouldn't wait even one hour. Not for Haim Ramon's acquittal, and not for the next spin by police affairs correspondent Uri Cohen-Aharonov, who every evening brings his viewers a new leak from police headquarters. The facts are known and have been beaten to death. They emanate a foul smell just like a cat carcass and are all there for everyone to see. We just need to gather them up at the town square.

After that, history will settle the score with everyone who led this country, the Jewish people's national home, to its dismal state.