Israel: Democracy in Action

The messy and chaotic atmosphere that has permeated the election season in Israel has made it easy to overlook one simple fact – Israel’s neighbors are jealous of this very mess.

“We really envy the Israelis,” a veteran Palestinian journalist told Khaled Abu Toameh of the Jerusalem Post. “Our leaders don’t want elections. They want to remain in office forever.”

One of the quirks of an open society is that the ugly, messy stuff is always visible, and in an election season, there’s plenty of it to feed the media beast. We’ve seen it all this year, from racist attacks to outright lies to libelous accusations.

This is the price Israel pays for having an open society – its warts are always on display.

Spend enough time focusing on these warts and you’ll think the country is going to hell in a hand basket. Go on the Website of the New Israel Fund (NIF), an organization working for a “better Israel,” and you’ll read about “the inequality, injustice and extremism that diminish Israel.”

This article, by David Suissa, was originally published in the Jewish Journal. Read more »