Confederacy of Dunces?

The results of several high profile political corruption cases have received major coverage in Israel in the last 10 days. Let it be said from the outset that the Israeli cases pale in comparison to Ponzi architect Bernard Madoff. Nevertheless they are significant. While both Madoff and the Israeli cases involved personal greed, Madoff was convicted for stealing private funds while at the end of June two former Israeli cabinet ministers were given prison sentences for stealing from the public.

Former Finance Minister Avraham Hirschson was sentenced to five years and five months in prison for larceny, executive theft, fraud, breach of trust, illicitly obtaining funds, money laundering and falsifying corporate documents. The State Prosecutor’s Office proved his theft of an estimated NIS 2 million (over $500,000) from the Histadrut Labor Federation. No doubt there is more they couldn’t prove. The details of his abuse of power were particularly galling and disgusting. This is a man who thought all the money his stole was rightfully coming to him. The Supreme Court disagreed. In addition to jail time he has to pay a fine of NIS 450,000 (about $115,000).

Meanwhile former cabinet minister Shlomo Benizri who appealed his 18 month sentence for bribery, fraud and breach of trust, had his sentence increased to four years. This is clearly a man who doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut. A man who thought he would be cleared of any wrongdoing.

There are a number of points that make these Israeli cases thought provoking. Hischson’s son made a heartfelt appeal to the court to spare his father because ‘my heart is breaking into a million pieces seeing him here.’

Benizri said this is going to be difficult on his family. ‘I didn’t put any of the money in my own pocket,’ he said when he heard his new sentence.

Clearly the Supreme Court judges didn’t buy these pleas. [It should be noted there are no jury trials in Israel. Cases are decided by a panel of judges.]

Am I supposed to feel bad because Benizri was convicted even if he didn’t benefit personally? He claims to have given the money to various Torah institutions supported by his Shas party.

His party’s newspaper returned to their usual paranoia: Israeli society can’t handle successful Moroccans. Benizri’s brother blamed the verdict on high ranking homosexuals in Israeli law enforcement.

Histrionics aside the fact is both men are guilty. And the Israeli public really deserves better. A lot better.

There is a long line of cabinet ministers and Knesset members who have been convicted of various offenses – more or less serious. Haim Ramon just resigned from the Knesset. He was convicted several years ago of kissing a female employee. He did community service. If you’re interested you can Google names including Aharon Abuhatzera, Shmuel Flatto-Sharon, Naomi Blumenthal, Rafael Pinhasi, Yitzhak Mordechai, Aryeh Deri, Yair Levi and Gonen Segev.

Most of the people on this list were involved in illegal financial transactions. Ramon and Mordechai were convicted of what boils down to sexual harassment. Gonen Segev tried to smuggle 32,000 hits of Ecstasy into the country using a forged diplomatic passport.

These are all relatively recent cases. Corruption is not new on the Israeli scene.

What’s disappointing is that Pinhasi, Deri, Levi and Benizri are all from the same party: Shas. Their constituency is predominately Moroccan and religious. They think they’re being singled out because they come from “the wrong side of the tracks.” I see it differently: I wonder what they are thinking about during the Vidui on Yom Kippur when we confess our sins.

The fact is both Hischson and Benizri stole from the public. In my book that makes them thieves. No less significant is that fact that they betrayed the trust put in them when they were elected to public office.

Of course we’re not finished. Former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is under investigation for corruption and former President Moshe Katsav is going to have to prove he isn’t a serial rapist. If he’s lucky he’ll only be convicted of sexual harassment.

Unfortunately the list doesn’t end there. I doubt that the current Foreign Minister Avigdor Leiberman will complete his term without being indicted on one of several corruption charges. We’re facing the real possibility that our foreign minister may actually be almost as corrupt as the Palestinian officials he’ll be expected to negotiate with.

And in case this isn’t bizarre enough, Aryeh Deri who went to jail and was barred from returning to politics for seven years, is now allowed to stage a comeback. Hard to believe that people would vote for the man who brought dishonor on their party. But politics really does make strange bedfellows. Perhaps that’s what Benizri’s brother really means: “We can make our own rules.” Stay turned on this one.

On the one hand we seem to have a Confederacy of Dunces here. But I don’t believe that’s the case. No doubt we have crooked politicians. But that doesn’t make Israel different from other democracies. What gives it an unusual cast is the fact that so many of the convicted Knesset members are ultra orthodox. No doubt that’s one of the results of the fact that we live in a Jewish country that does not pretend to have separation of synagogue and state. If I wanted to be amused by this I would say that we have created a system where even religious politicians can be crooks.

But I want to be very clear about this. I’m not amused. And the Israeli public is not amused. We’re very tired of people who think that might makes right. (Where have I heard that before?) Because they received a percentage of the public trust in the form of votes, they think they can help themselves to the public’s finances.

As Judge Bracha Ofir-Tom wrote in her opinion in Hirschson’s case: "It's inconceivable that he [Hirschson] did not understand that taking the money is not only against the law, but also damages the heart of good government. The message this court wants to send is loud and clear. His punishment will not be different from that of a common criminal."

And just in case somehow Avraham Hirschson and Shlomo Benizri really didn’t understand, they will have plenty of time to grasp the issues involved.