Almost half of Israelis think state's leadership corrupt: report

Almost half of Israelis think that the country's leadership is corrupt, according to a 2018 index report submitted on Monday to President Reuven Rivlin by the Israel Democracy Institute.

According to the report, 47 percent of the respondents think the country's leadership is corrupt, compared with 55 percent in 2016.

The reason for the decline is explained by large disparities in the perception of corruption among supporters of right-wing parties in power and supporters of the center and the left.

Only 23 percent of the right-wing Likud party voters, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, think the leadership is corrupt.

Meanwhile, 54 percent of the respondents think that Israel is not a true democracy because a small group of rich people influence the government.

However, the percentage of those who believe that the tension between rich and poor in Israel is strong has declined significantly in recent years, from 56 percent in 2012 to 39 percent now.

Moreover, 41 percent believe that women in Israel are worse off than men, while 24 percent believe the opposite.