Democracy in Israel and France - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: DEMOCRACY IN ISRAEL AND FRANCE Democracy in Israel and France Insert Insert Grade Insert 23 February Democracy in Israel and France Introduction Democracy can be defined as a government whose supreme power is invested in people who exercise democracy directly or indirectly, mainly through the right to vote freely. According to Puddington, “a free country is one where there is open political competition, a climate of respect for civil liberties, significant independent civic life and independent media,” (Puddington 4). Israel is a Jewish country, which embraces diversity in ethnicity and culture of people; needless to say, Hebrew and Arabic are the official languages. In Israel, the end of Arab citizen discrimination is a sign of democracy; infant mortality among the Arabs citizens in Israel is higher than that of the Jewish, making Israel democratic nature argumentative (Gorenberg Para 1). According to the Economist Intelligence Unit Limited (3), democracy has declined globally since 2008, and therefore, it is perceived that it is on retreat. Free and fair elections are some of the necessities of democracy; however, they must be accompanied by transparency, especially on the government’s side. France and Israel are among the flawed democracies, and as a result, denying their citizens full democracy. France is ranked position 31, while Israel is in the 37th position of flawed democracies (The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited 5). This research paper will measure democracy between France and Israel, basing its arguments on several factors. Measuring Democracy in Israel and France Free, Fair, Competitive Elections Democracy is a system that guarantees the freedom of expression and human rights in a country, as well as free and fair elections without discrimination, and as a result, protecting civil and political rights of citizens. In December 2011, Israeli vice president, Moshe Yaalon, declared that majority of the Arab countries were not ready for democracy. This is because of the previous deaths, which occurred in an attempt to fight dictatorship in these countries. The Israel vice president argued that democracy could be achieved through fair and free elections. However, the Palestinians argue that Israel call for democracy is hypocritical, mainly because the Israel government refused to accept the 2006 election results, which were perceived to be free and fair (dawn.com Para 5). As a result, Israel is hypocritical when it claims that it is democratic, in the election process.  France is a Western European country, having a population of approximately 61million and is among the successful countries globally. It is a republic compromising of both presidential and parliamentary systems of government. It is considered democratic, with the parliament system being common; however, it has constitutional limits, which include the legislature’s power to bring down a government among others. Needless to say, France is democratic on how it conducts its elections. Freedom of the Press According to the world audit, Israel is rated as number 36, whilst France is at number 24 (World Audit 2011). France has an independent media, where freedom of communication and speech is valued as a human right. As a result, the French are allowed to speak, write, or print any article; however, they are held responsible for abuse of this freedom. France guarantees freedom of the press, which is supported by the 1881 Act on freedom of the press; however, it contains restrictions, which are aimed at balancing freedom of expression, citizen protection, and maintaining law and order (French embassy Para 2). The France law also punishes any acts of defamation and slander, as well as offensive speeches or contemptuous; therefore, the freedom of the press in France is conditional, and as a result, her democracy is flawed. Israel’s drop in press freedom was because of its press regulations on international media early in 2009. Journalists were arrested and even imprisoned, with the country’s military forces in Gaza strip injuring some journalists. As a result, Israeli’s democracy became questionable (Haaretz service Para. 5). Needless to say, publishers of newspapers are required to attain a license from the interior ministry, while journalists are required to have proper credentials for them to attend any press conference or access government buildings. Therefore, Israeli’s press freedom is controlled and not guaranteed as well. Systemic & Lawful Change of Leadership After the 1992 national elections, Labor Party leader, Rabin, became the prime minister; however, he was later on assassinated and Peres took over power. He called for early elections after three months; however, terrorism practices followed thereafter, leading to the loss of lives of many Israelites. In the 2001 elections Likud leader, Sharon defeated Barak and formed a coalition government, which collapsed in 2002. By 2004, there was instability in the government due to allegations of corruption. In 2006, a new government was sworn in; however, the preceding elections were considered unfair. France has also had changes in its leadership system, with several presidents ruling the nation. With the next general election nearing, the country is hoping for change in her leadership. France ensures that fair and free elections take place, and therefore, the citizens have a right of choosing their preferred leaders. Here, the party that achieves majority seat in parliament forms the government, (Democracy web Para 3). As a result, France is more democratic in its lawful change of leadership, as it involves citizens in choosing their leaders. In contrast, Israel is still concerned about the Arabs, and prefers to circulate leadership among the Jews, portraying poor democracy. Rule of Law The rule of law is a state of affairs, whereby, a nation monopolizes the means of violence in a fair and consistent manner incorporating rules and aspects of human rights (Stromseth, Wippman, Brooks & American society of international law 78). The rule of law is the key to free and open democracy. For a long time, France was not a state governed by laws; however, today, the rule of law is strongly upheld and is expressed in the lives of French citizens. Political stability and democratic governance is emphasized on, unlike in Israel where the rule of law is neglected. Israel seems to be splitting at the rule of law; first, the protection of the communities living along the Gaza strip has been delayed continuously. In addition, discrimination against the Arabs citizens is still evident in Israel, therefore undermining their political and social rights. Therefore, the rule of law and principles of human rights have been neglected. Moreover, it has recently occupied the west bank, despite the illegality of these actions (The Guardian, Para. 5). In addition, Palestinians soldiers are treated brutally and arrested, and their homes demolished when they access Israeli’s land. Therefore, Israel has abandoned the rule of law and illegally acquired land, thus ignoring human rights. Checks & Balances Implementing a system that allows every branch of a government to amend the acts of another branch with an aim of preventing any branch from exerting too much power is important. Israel is allegedly a nation that entertains government abuse. Moreover, checks and balances are disappearing with time, as the exploitation of Jewish community is evident. The country is ruled only by the right wing coalition, and opposition does not exist. Moreover, judges appoint their friends on the bench, which hinders democracy. Nevertheless, separation of the church and state is an impossible mission in Israel. The use of checks and balance in France has had a great impact on the society. The separation and balance of power in the judiciary creates accountability. In France, regulators are monitored, and administrative measures put in place to oversee the regulator practices. The France government is divided into executive, legislative, and judicial branches; all these branches have checks and balances. The president shares his executive powers with the prime minister, thus a unitary state. Tolerance   There is a high level of tolerance in France compared to Israel. The country’s tolerance on religion is high, where diverse religious practices are encouraged, with each religion respecting the other. Israel is a nation of extremes, and tolerance is rare; first, Israelis attack the Palestinians neighborhoods. Needless to say, discrimination is evident in Israel, especially in religion, where religion expression is limited in Israel. Judaism is the main religion; this is evidenced by the Israel parliament proposed a bill that would limit the freedom of religious expression that stated that any advertisement that aimed at fostering religious conversion would be confiscated (Religious Intolerance Para. 1). Active Participation   Active participation, especially in politics is an issue in Israel; there is under-representation of women in national institutions and government. However, the voting patterns between women and men are not affected compared to other countries, despite the women’s interest is politics being low (Israel Democracy Institute Para. 14). Needless to say, Israel has set limits on Palestinians participation in politics. In France, active political participation is common, and as a result, the existence of trade unions, high voter turnouts, and protests and strikes are evident. Needless to say, France does not hinder women from engaging in political participation. The parity law that exists in France requires equal number of men and women in running political parties, thus increasing the number of women in offices. Therefore, France is more cautious on active participation compared to Israel. Vibrant Middle Class A vibrant middle class is important to a nation, as it contributes to the economic growth, as well as the political and social stability. Serving as a buffer between the poor and the rich, it fosters healthy democracy. The Middle class in Israel experiences low living standards because of market liberalization for many years. Unbearable financial stresses are among the problems they face. According to Eugene (Para. 2), a vibrant middle class does not exist in France, and this is because of the economic challenges facing this class. The consumer prices continue to increase, while salary remains stagnant. Moreover, the income distribution continuously becomes unequal, leaving the middle class at a disadvantage. Unemployment is also common due to recessions in France. Therefore, both France and Israel do not have a vibrant middle class, mainly because of numerous challenges faced by the middle class. Conclusion France and Israel democracies face challenges regularly. In Israel, lack of trust in the elected leader is evident; as a result, the Israelis have decreased in voting during elections. France on the other hand offers freedom to the press, but with conditions, therefore subjecting its democracy to criticism. As a result, for these countries to maintain their democracy without hypocrisy, change is necessary. The limit of religious expression in Israel portrays flawed democracy; as a result, Israel is ragging behind in democracy compared to France. Works Cited Dawn.com news. Arabs not ready for democracy: Israel. 2011. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.dawn.com/2011/12/12/arabs-not-ready-for-democracy-israel.html Democracy web; comparative studies in freedom. Free, Fair, & Regular Elections: Essential Principles. N.d. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.democracyweb.org/elections/principles.php Eugene, Steuerle. Urban institute. Economic Challenges Facing Middle Class Families. 2010. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.urban.org/publications/901041.html French embassy. Freedom of speech in the French media. 2012. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.ambafrance-uk.org/Freedom-of-speech-in-the-French.html  Gorenberg, Gershom. The American prospect; is Israel a democracy? 2009. Web. 23 February 2012. http://prospect.org/article/israel-democracy-0 Haaretz Service. Israel ranks low for freedom of press, after Gaza war media ban. Israel news. 2009. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.haaretz.com/news/israel-ranks-low-for-freedom-of-press-after-gaza-war-media-ban-1.5765 Israel democracy institute. Is there a woman’ voice in politics? 2008. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.idi.org.il/sites/english/parliament/Pages/IsThereaWomensVoiceinPolitics.aspx Limiting religious expression: Religious intolerance in Israel. 2009. Retrieved from http://www.religioustolerance.org/rt_israelb.htm Puddington, Arch. Freedom in the world 2012. The Arab uprising and their global repercussions. 2012. (Attached document). Stromseth, Jane. Wippman, D. Brooks, R. & American Society of International Law. Can might make rights? Building the rule of law after military interventions. Cambridge University Press Publisher, 2006. The guardian. Israel and the rule of law. Independent Jewish voices. 2007. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/feb/07/israelandtheruleoflaw The Economist Intelligence Unit Limited. Democracy index 2010; Democracy in retreat. 2010. Web. 23 February 2012. http://graphics.eiu.com/PDF/Democracy_Index_2010_web.pd World Audit Organization. Democracy. 2011. Web. 23 February 2012. http://www.worldaudit.org/democracy.htm Read More