State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg issued the 52nd annual
report on Monday, saying it found huge public waste and
neglect of the Arab sector and the handicapped.
Though these are the really consequential findings, most
Israeli newspapers highlighted the criticism in the report of
Former Bank of Israel governor Jacob Frenkel and of former
High Court Justice Tzvi Tal. Perhaps coincidentally and
perhaps not, both are Jewishly observant and wear
kippot.
Frenkel is censured in the report for receiving wage benefits
beyond the level of his position, though they were approved
by subordinates. A spokesman for Frenkel said he had acted
"in accordance with all of the regulations and in good
faith."
Former High Court justice Zvi Tal was cited for a conflict of
interests while serving as head of the State Legacies
Committee. Tal took part in meetings that granted money to a
nonprofit organization managed by his wife. He is not accused
of voting in the decisions nor of benefiting materially from
the allocations. The organizations cited in press reports
were large established organizations.
Goldberg also said that, in his opinion, the most significant
aspects of this year's report, as in past years, relate to
social issues, citing poor physical infrastructure in the
Arab sector and handicapped citizens being blocked from
opportunities because of poor access to facilities and job
training.
Nonetheless, the headlines were about Frenkel and Tal, and
the stories emphasized that Comptroller Goldberg had not
decided which, if any, findings to hand over for possible
criminal prosecution. The innuendo put all those criticized
in the report under a cloud, but it remains to be seen how
deserved it is. Comptroller Goldberg is a former High Court
justice, and if there were clear evidence of criminal
behavior it should be evident to him and not require further
deliberation.
The report illustrates the "bleak situation" in
infrastructure in the Arab sector, including in
transportation and sewerage, he noted. He said that, while
the government has set a goal to rectify the situation,
"plans have not yet begun to be implemented" with the
exception of partial programs for Bedouin in the north and in
the Druse sector.
Goldberg said the state must ensure that the Arab sector does
not feel like "second-class citizens," adding that
"declarations are not enough." He said the report also
revealed "difficult findings" about the management of local
authorities in the Arab sector by local leaders. These
leaders must also show responsibility by collecting taxes and
investing the money in keeping with the needs of the
population, he said. The report said that 70 percent of the
82 local Arab councils do not have efficient sewage systems.
The report also includes a scathing section on the failure to
provide adequate funding for schools in the Arab sector.
As for the handicapped, Goldberg said the laws to protect
their equal rights are not being implemented or enforced and
there is not enough awareness of the special needs of these
citizens. The environment must be suited for them, including
transportation, and they must be given an opportunity to
contribute to the economy.
The report includes harsh criticism of police interrogation
methods, the allotment of $700 million in aid to two foreign
concerns investing in Israel without any financial
feasibility check, and many other failures on the part of the
local and national authorities.
A sample of other findings as reported in Ha'aretz: *
Only 3 percent of the work accidents reported to the Labor
and Social Affairs Ministry were investigated. * The Health
Ministry has not been overseeing the quality of the medical
services offered by the various health maintenance
organizations. * The road infrastructure in many Arab towns
is substandard; 43 percent of children up to the age of 10
who were killed in road accidents during the period 1996-1999
lived in Arab and Druse towns. * The number of government
employees increased, despite a series of government decisions
to slash ministry workforces. * Some 28 percent of 1st-9th
Grade students in the Jerusalem area did not receive any
health services -- vaccinations, in particular.
