Freedom House: Israel is the Only Free Country in the Middle East

According to the 2019 report by the human rights group Freedom House, Israel is the only free country in the Middle East.

Founded by Eleanor Roosevelt and Wendell Willkie, in 1941, Freedom House is non-profit, independent watchdog dedicated to "the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world." Its 2019 report on Freedom across the world describes Israel as "a multiparty democracy with strong and independent institutions that guarantee political rights and civil liberties for most of the population".

Again, we must ask why is the only nation in the region that is ranked as free subject to such vitriolic rhetoric across the media, in the UN and on college campuses?

Could it be because it is the only Jewish state, not only in the region, but in the world?

Freedom House: Israel is the only Free Nation in the Middle East

Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom and democracy around the world.

Each year, Freedom House analyzes the world's nations and territories, examining the electoral process, political pluralism and participation, the functioning of the government, freedom of expression and of belief, the rule of law, and individual rights. Their results are published in their annual report, Freedom in the World.

Freedom House's 2017 rankings are out.  Again, Israel is the only nation in the Middle east that is ranked as "free". 

Israel scored 80 out of100 points, and is described in the report as "a multiparty democracy with strong and independent institutions that guarantee political rights and civil liberties for most of the population".

Why is the only nation in the region that is ranked as free subject to such vitriolic rhetoric across the media, in the UN and on college campuses?

Could it be because it is the only Jewish state, not only in the region, but in the world?

Has the United Methodist Church Rejected Divestment?

Have the Methodists finally tired of the BDS movement hijacking their annual conference in an effort to promote their biased highly politicized agenda?

Seems likely.

Recently publicized guidelines by the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits of the United Methodist Church seem specifically designed  to ward off the BDS movement’s near pathological obsession with Israel.  The pension board manages over $21 billion in assets for over 91,000 participants, including clergy and lay staff.

The General Board and its Wespath investment management division have recently announced the implementation of new investment guidelines, using environmental and human rights factors for determining ethically sound investments

The new human rights guidelines state:

The management of the General Board of Pension and Health Benefits/Wespath Investment Management division will evaluate the human rights-related impact and risk of the companies in which we invest and will use engagement to improve both social and financial corporate performance.
This risk is particularly acute when companies have significant exposure to high-risk operating areas defined as:
1. Countries demonstrating a prolonged and systematic pattern of human rights violations*
2. Conflict-affected areas where significant human rights violations have been widely documented
For General Board investment purposes, excessive sustainability risk, leading to exclusion from portfolios, may occur if a company provides significant financing or other financial services to, derives more than 10% of its revenues from, or sources more than 10% of its raw materials from a country or area as described above.
Exceptions may be granted if a company is ranked or rated as an industry leader in its overall environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance by the General Board's ESG service provider.
The General Board also may exclude from investment the sovereign debt of any country demonstrating a prolonged and systematic pattern of human rights abuses.*
* Defined as those countries with the worst ranking in Freedom House's annual "Freedom in the World" report.

The board will scrutinize companies that operate in nations with the worst ranking in Freedom House's annual “Freedom in the World”  In  2014 report, the lowest scores went to the Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

According to Freedom House, Israel consistently is ranked as the only free country in the Middle east. These new rules make divestment from companies doing in business in Israel, including Motorola, Hewlett-Packard and Caterpillar highly improbable.

In response, anti-Israel church group United Methodist Kairos Response has implied that Caterpillar donations to Freedom house have influenced its high ratings on Israel.  It’s another of the near infinite variations on the double loyalty canard that often borders on anti-Semitic, implying that interaction with Israel or the Jewish people inevitably clouds judgment and renders impartiality void.

Not surprising from a group that called the return of the Jewish people to their ancient homeland a “sin against God and humanity”

Kairos Response fails to note that in spite of Caterpillar’s massive investment in China, (including 23 existing manufacturing facilities, 4 new facilities under construction, 4 research and development centers and 3 logistics and parts centers along with over 15,000 members of the “ Caterpillar team” over 10,000 dealer employees and 16,000 supplier staff), Freedom House still ranks China as “Not Free”. 

Freedom House: Israel is the only free country in the Middle East

Each year Freedom house publishes a report in an attempt to measure the degree of democracy and individual freedom in each nation of the world

From their website:
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization dedicated to the expansion of freedom around the world.

Today, as more than two billion people live under oppressive rule, Freedom House speaks out against the main threats to democracy and empowers citizens to exercise their fundamental rights.  We analyze the challenges to freedom; advocate for greater political and civil liberties; and support frontline activists to defend human rights and promote democratic change.  Founded in 1941, Freedom House was the first American organization to champion the advancement of freedom globally.


The latest updates are available from Freedom House, and again, the only free nation in the Middle East is the one subject to a campaign of harassment and boycotts, divestment and sanctions.  Israel once again is the sole beacon of freedom and democracy in an increasingly troubled region.

What countries in the Middle east are free?

Freedom House 2012: Israel is the Only Free Nation in the Middle East

Using the following framework Freedom house has determined that only 2% of the population of the Middle East is free.  The 2%  that are free live in Israel. 

POLITICAL RIGHTS


A. ELECTORAL PROCESS

1. Is the head of government or other chief national authority elected through free and
fair elections?

2. Are the national legislative representatives elected through free and fair elections?

3. Are the electoral laws and framework fair?

B. POLITICAL PLURALISM AND PARTICIPATION

1. Do the people have the right to organize in different political parties or other competitive political groupings of their choice, and is the system open to the rise and fall of these competing parties or groupings?

2. Is there a significant opposition vote and a realistic possibility for the opposition to increase its support or gain power through elections?

3. Are the people’s political choices free from domination by the military, foreign powers, totalitarian parties, religious hierarchies, economic oligarchies, or any other powerful group?

4. Do cultural, ethnic, religious, or other minority groups have full political rights and electoral opportunities?


C. FUNCTIONING OF GOVERNMENT

1. Do the freely elected head of government and national legislative representatives determine the policies of the government?

2. Is the government free from pervasive corruption?

3. Is the government accountable to the electorate between elections, and does it operate with openness and transparency?


ADDITIONAL DISCRETIONARY POLITICAL RIGHTS QUESTIONS

1. For traditional monarchies that have no parties or electoral process, does the system provide for genuine, meaningful consultation with the people, encourage public discussion of policy choices, and allow the right to petition the ruler?

2. Is the government or occupying power deliberately changing the ethnic composition of a country or territory so as to destroy a culture or tip the political balance in favor of another group?



CIVIL LIBERTIES

D. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND BELIEF

1. Are there free and independent media and other forms of cultural expression? (Note: In cases where the media are state-controlled but offer pluralistic points of view, the survey gives the system credit.)

2. Are religious institutions and communities free to practice their faith and express themselves in public and private?

3. Is there academic freedom, and is the educational system free of extensive political indoctrination?

4. Is there open and free private discussion?



E. ASSOCIATIONAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL RIGHTS

1. Is there freedom of assembly, demonstration, and open public discussion?

2. Is there freedom for nongovernmental organizations? (Note: This includes civic organizations, interest groups, foundations, etc.)

3. Are there free trade unions and peasant organizations or equivalents, and is there effective collective bargaining? Are there free professional and other private organizations?



F. RULE OF LAW

1. Is there an independent judiciary?

2. Does the rule of law prevail in civil and criminal matters? Are police under direct civilian control?

3. Is there protection from political terror, unjustified imprisonment, exile, or torture, whether by groups that support or oppose the system? Is there freedom from war and insurgencies?

4. Do laws, policies, and practices guarantee equal treatment of various segments of the population?



G. PERSONAL AUTONOMY AND INDIVIDUAL RIGHTS

1. Do citizens enjoy freedom of travel or choice of residence, employment, or institution of higher education?

2. Do citizens have the right to own property and establish private businesses? Is private business activity unduly influenced by government officials, the security forces, political parties/organizations, or organized crime?

3. Are there personal social freedoms, including gender equality, choice of marriage partners, and size of family?

4. Is there equality of opportunity and the absence of economic exploitation?

Freedom House: Israel is the only free Country in the Middle east

Freedom House

In the least free part of the world, one tiny nation stands out as a beacon of freedom. It is Israel.

How does Freedom in the World measure freedom?

The survey measures freedom according to two broad categories that are derived from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: political rights and civil liberties.

The ratings are determined by a checklist of 25 questions, 10 addressing political rights and 15 addressing civil liberties.

The 10 political rights questions are grouped into three sub-categories:

* Electoral Process:
* Political Pluralism and Participation
* Functioning of Government


The 15 civil liberties questions are grouped into four sub-categories:

* Freedom of Expression and Belief:
* Associational and Organizational Rights
* Rule of Law
* Personal Autonomy and Individual Rights

And strangely enough, this tiny nation on a sliver of land in the Middle east is the only one targetted by the BDS'ers. Perhaps its not Israel they object to- perhaps its freedom