Let me explain
briefly why I think that Israel does not function as a healthy state:
On a quick and
superficial look the state of Israel seems to be a progressive, successful and well
established. Again and again we count the Israeli Nobel Prize winners. Again
and again we brag about the Israeli successful hi-tech industry. But then one
may ask: If the Jews are so smart, why do they fail to establish a
functioning state?
All government
systems: education, health, transportation, justice, police and defense are
frozen at the same point where they were in the early years of the state and
work on the verge of falling apart. One may ask: Why there are nearly no large
companies except those who managed to take over a monopolistic channel or
subsist on the public resources? Why Israeli sport is so behind? (Please, do
not underestimate sport, this is almost the only area in which achievements are
determined by ability and not by lobbying and contacts).
Every prime
minister since Yitzhak Rabin has tried to just survive somehow their years in
power. They admit their inability to manage the country and are not trying at
all to solve the serious problems threatening the existence of the state.
Rabin, who tried to solve the conflict with the Palestinians paid with his
life. His successors took the hint.
Consider, for
example, the public transportation in the center of the country. Since 1973, there
were talks about a metro in Tel Aviv area. We are 40 years after and there is
still no sign of a metro or any other fast transportation system. Only the air
pollution for which private transportation in Tel-Aviv area is responsible,
causing the deaths of thousands of people. In addition stalled transportation
causes serious economic damage and suffering to the residents. No government in
all those years could lift such a common project that exists in every major
city in the western world.
Another
example is the police. Number of homicides that occurred recently revealed what
has long been known to anyone who tried to bring police officers to do their
job: Israel Police has no interest in protecting its citizens. Anyone who had
his property stolen or was forced to seek protection from a violent neighbor,
experienced an evasive response by the law enforcement representatives. They
come into action only when they have a chance to catch headlines in the
newspapers. In the rest of the time they are busy preventing the citizens from disturbing
them.
In a similar manner
the ministries of education, health, justice and all other offices function.
Ministries of Finance and Defense are the subject of a special discussion to come
later.
All public
sector and government companies feel as if they are exempt from serving the
citizens. There are still some righteous employees who do their work and carry
on their backs somehow the crumbling systems, but that would not last much
longer.
Recently
surprising Communications Minister Moshe Kahlon opened the Mobile Phones market
to competition and the prices dropped sharply. This exception stands out more
than any other example. If it was so easy, why the hell did the public pay fortune
for 20 years to the three long-established firms which divided the market and charged
whatever they liked?
The prime
Minister turned to the ministers and asked them to be all "Kahlonim".
For some reason, no other minister joined Kahlon's activism. The question is:
why the Prime Minister asking them? Isn't he supposed to manage them and give
them clear instructions of how to act?
This example strongly
illustrates the lack of governability of the country's leaders. They admit
that they lack the power to change anything and give up any attempt to take
real action. It is much easier to release "spins" to the media, which
are used as "bread and games" to the voters - especially games.
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