Israel is witnessing a decline in the index in 2023, falling to 33rd place out of 180 countries listed. (Getty)

Transparency International has released the 2023 Corruption Perceptions Index, which ranks 180 countries and territories around the world by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, and follows a scale from 0 (most corrupt) to 100 (least corrupt).

Israel witnessed a decline in the index for the year 2023, falling to 33rd place out of 180 countries listed. The Globes newspaper described the decline as a major setback for the state, as it had made progress by rising to 31st place in 2022 with a score of 62 points, which demonstrates the state’s commitment to combating corruption in the past. However, the latest score of 63 highlights a reversal of this positive trend.

According to the newspaper, the internal conflicts over the government’s judicial reform that the country witnessed last year, in addition to the security failure that led to the war with Hamas, are factors that have harmed Israel’s position in the index, leading to the erosion of the gains achieved in previous years.

Internal conflicts over the government's judicial reform that the country witnessed last year, in addition to the security failure that led to the war with Hamas, are factors that have harmed Israel's position in the index, according to Globes. (European)

The Corruption Perceptions Index is a measure that reflects the feelings of citizens and experts regarding the level of corruption within the political system.

The newspaper quoted Honorary Judge Nelly Arad, head of Transparency International in Israel, as expressing her concern about the decline in Israel’s rating. She stressed that the noticeable increase in the 2022 index, the largest in 9 years, indicates Israel's commitment to liberal democracy, an independent judicial system, protection of oversight bodies, and free media. However, the 2023 Index reveals a fundamental shift in government behaviour, which has been characterized by measures aimed at weakening the independence of the judicial system and undermining oversight bodies.

Neely stressed to the newspaper that “an in-depth examination of the 2023 index results shows that the civil struggle to protect against damage to the existence of a basic democracy prevented a further drop in Israel’s score this year.”

The decline in the Corruption Perceptions Index raises concerns about Israel's commitment to transparency and accountability.

Source: Israeli press