When this data is considered alongside the results of a survey we recently conducted at the Israel Democracy Institute, the grounds for genuine concern become even clearer. Approximately 74% of respondents believe that corruption in Israel is more widespread today than in the past, while only a very small minority think it has decreased. Roughly 80% agree, or somewhat agree, that the police are not doing enough to investigate suspected corruption.<\/p>\n
Public perceptions regarding specific institutions are even more troubling. Some 74.3% believe that corruption exists in the Knesset \u201cto a great extent,\u201d and 73.6% say the same about the government.<\/p>\n
Law enforcement bodies and the professional civil service are not immune from this perception. The police are viewed as corrupt \u201cto a great extent\u201d by 65.4% of the public; 57.4% attribute significant corruption to the professional echelon of the civil service; 53.6% to the legal advisory system and the State Attorney\u2019s Office; and 49.5% perceive the Supreme Court as corrupt to a great extent. This reflects a broad perception \u2013 one that is nearly systemic in scope.<\/p>\n
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara at a Constitution, Law and Justice Committee meeting at the Knesset, in the Israeli parliament on September 30, 2025. (credit: OREN BEN HAKOON\/FLASH90)Lack of public faith<\/p>\n
The sense that corruption is on the rise<\/a> can be explained, in part, by public exposure to cases that raise concerns about misconduct by elected officials, including the misuse of public funds and actions involving clear conflicts of interest. Taken together, these developments create a cumulative impression of a government that, at least in some instances, acts in its own interest and in the interest of its associates.<\/p>\n This is compounded by ongoing challenges from members of the government and political echelon to the independence and professionalism of law enforcement institutions, including the police, the attorney general\u2019s legal advisory system, and the judiciary.<\/p>\n At the same time, efforts made by the prime minister and key ministers to expand political appointments \u2013 such as within government companies \u2013 open the door to conflicts of interest and blur the line between the public interest and partisan or personal ones. The combined effect of these trends shapes perceptions of corruption both among the public and among researchers assessing Israel\u2019s governance.<\/p>\n The consequences of Israel’s ranking decline<\/p>\n A decline in Israel\u2019s ranking on the international corruption index carries tangible consequences. Corruption within the public sector is not merely a moral or reputational concern: It undermines efficiency and the responsible use of public funds, erodes equality and the fair distribution of resources, and can damage the country\u2019s international standing and economic position. Investor confidence may suffer as trust in governance practices<\/a> and legal certainty declines.<\/p>\n To be sure, for the time being, the drop in Israel\u2019s score is not dramatic. The system continues to function: The Supreme Court still issues rulings, and the police continue to investigate corruption cases. But when both an international index and a clear majority of the public point in the same direction, the warning sign should not be ignored.<\/p>\n Concrete steps can be taken to restore norms and strengthen institutions that safeguard public integrity and combat corruption: clear transparency rules, consistent enforcement, independent oversight mechanisms, and a professional civil service shielded from politicization.<\/p>\n These measures, grounded in the fundamental principle of loyalty to the public, are not just theoretical, high-minded principles. They are essential conditions for the proper functioning of a modern democratic state and for preserving public trust and economic stability.<\/p>\n Adv. Edna Harel Fisher is head of the Israel Democracy Institute\u2019s Public Ethics and Anti-Corruption Program, and Dr. Natan Milikowsky is a researcher in the program.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The findings of the 2025 Corruption Perceptions Index, published last week, should serve as a wake-up call for…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":295924,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[16731,234,85,46,954,43,17154],"class_list":{"0":"post-295923","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-israel","8":"tag-corruption","9":"tag-government","10":"tag-il","11":"tag-israel","12":"tag-israeli-politics","13":"tag-news","14":"tag-poll"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295923","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295923"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295923\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295924"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295923"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295923"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295923"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}