Quotes of the Day

Israel, it is often said, has only two seasons. Spring and fall last only a few short and insignificant weeks; summer and winter are noted for their excesses. Summer is a long, hot and humid period.

Still, I'm deeply fond of the Israeli summer. It's a very sunny, illuminated, crowded and colorful time of the year. Spending evenings and mornings on the beach is a favored activity, and since every public buildings and café is air-conditioned, one can also loiter in the city streets without ending up sweaty and exhausted. Summer, for me, usually bring good spirits

However, this summer started badly, darkened by some very troubling events. First, the Palestinians continue their efforts to hurt as many Israeli targets as possible, severely harming the prospects of a proper Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. A sophisticated attack on an Israel Defense Forces' post in Gaza, made through an explosives tunnel last week, took the life of an Israeli soldier. A few hours later, Palestinian rockets were launched into the Israeli town of Sderot (which lies within the 1967 borders) and killed an innocent civilian and a toddler. I not only mourn these deaths, I'm also worried about the political implications of such attacks: the Palestinians should have learned by now that violence only makes Israelis more stubborn and reluctant to compromise.

And there is also the issue of Israel's total indifference to events in Iraq. The American failures there and the great concerns over that country's future do not seem to interest Israelis at all. Where Saddam's missiles used to top the list of their concerns, the threat of an unstable and weak state, not too far from home, becoming a huge incubator for terrorism, seems to go unnoticed.

One of the most unnerving issues here is the dispute between the Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, and the former State Prosecutor, Edna Arbel — a feud that is far from being just a personal or domestic issue. It is in fact a fundamental argument about the relationship between wealth and government.

It all started a few weeks ago, when Mazuz surprised the Israeli public and the judicial community with his decision not to indict Prime Minister Sharon on bribery charges. The decision itself was not a surprise — leaks from the Attorney General's office already indicated as much — but the speech he gave in a live press conference shocked everybody: Mazuz totally cleared Prime Minister Sharon and his son, Gilad, of any connection with bribery in the so-called "Greek Island Affair".

The affair dates back to the late 1990's when, as part of a grandiose tourism development project on the Greek island of Patroklos, businessman David Appel employed Gilad as a consultant (on a most impressive salary, bearing in mind his lack of experience). Appel also invited Ariel Sharon, then Foreign Minister, to attend a dinner with Greek politicians whose approval was needed for the island project to progress. Sharon had also allegedly helped Appel with another development project, located within Israel.

The issue in question is whether Gilad's employment and Sharon's willingness to help Appel are linked, and whether that link can be proved in court. The former State Prosecutor, Edna Arbel's recommendation was a firm "yes". She described it as a "clear and grim" picture of bribery.

The Attorney General had a much more lenient interpretation. In his press conference, Mazuz explained at length what an excellent worker Gilad was and how he deserved his huge salary. In a briefing following the press conference he even criticized Arbel for "marking targets".

The gap between these judicial opinions is vast and problematic: I think, as many of my friends do, that the Israeli judicial system will lose the public's trust if these contradictions are not investigated and settled. Especially when the issue in question is the Prime Minister's honesty. In our opinion, it means that if Mazuz's allegation of "marking" is correct, Arbel, who was recently appointed to the Supreme Court judge, must give up her seat. But if his allegations were wrong, he must resign as Attorney General. The problem is that none of the politicians who have the power to initiate an inquiry of this issue, bother to pursue it. Neither the Minister of Justice, nor the leadership of the opposition Labour party, (who are seeking to join Sharon's Government) have pushed to solve the question.

The High Court of Justice last week started hearing petitions against the Attorney General's decision. After two hearings, it's not clear which way the special panel of seven justices is leaning. But the two left-wing Knesset members who submitted the petitions might be encouraged that this week the state agreed, for the first time, to hand over the summary of evidence report on which Arbel's recommendations were made — a move Mazuz had strenuously resisted.

As long as Sharon keeps promising to push forward the desired disengagement plan, and as long as the Labour party remains keen on joining his government, the politicians will stay silent and Israel will pay a huge price: the dispute between Mazuz and Arbel is an immense blow to the reliability of one of the basic elements of Israel's democracy, its judicial system, and one from which we will not easily recover.

No, this is not good news. And for me, it is hard to cope with, even in the cheerful, escapist, careless, Israeli summer.

• MICHAL LEVERTOV
• A feud between between Israel's attorney general and its former state prosecutor brings into question the relationship between wealth and government