Kuwait Times

Published Date: April 25, 2007

JERUSALEM: Israel celebrated its 59th independence day yesterday with a mix of malaise and festivity, with millions enjoying barbecues in backyards and parks while lamenting rising corruption and the depressing after-effects of the summer's inconclusive war in Lebanon.

"The country is in a good state but in a bad mood," Vice Premier Shimon Peres told The Associated Press during independence day celebrations at Jerusalem's presidential residence, which is currently vacant because the president, Moshe Katsav, suspended himself amid charges of rape, sexual assault and fraud. US President George W Bush called Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to wish him well on independence day, Olmert's office said in a statement. The two leaders also talked about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the statement said, without providing details.

Several hours before the phone call, Hamas militants had fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells toward Israel and said they considered a five-month-old truce on the Israel-Gaza border to have ended. The attack did not cause injuries or damages. It came after nine Palestinians were killed in fighting with Israeli troops over the weekend.  Israel's memorial day for fallen soldiers, a somber 24 hours of visits to cemeteries, tales of survivors and sad recollections of wartime losses, gave way Monday evening to the celebration of independence day. 

At the Mt Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem, Israeli pioneers and soldiers kindled 12 huge torches to signify the start of the holiday. Soldiers marched in formation, and fireworks lit up the Jerusalem sky on a mild spring evening. Cities and towns set up outdoor stages for entertainment. Government statistics on the eve of the holiday showed that Israel's population grew by 121,000 since last year to 7,150,000- 76 percent Jews, 20 per cent Arabs and 4 per cent listed as "others," many of them non-Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. Families loaded their cars with portable grills, charcoal, food and toys for the kids and headed to national parks and picnic spots.

Other events set for yesterday included awarding the nation's top civilian honor, the Israel Prize, to Israelis who have made outstanding achievements in their fields. One is Alice Shalvi, 80, who immigrated from Great Britain in 1950. She is being recognized for her life's work as a founder of the Israeli feminist movement and pioneer in Jewish education. But the Lebanon war and burgeoning corruption scandals darkened the festive atmosphere. The war took the lives of 157 Israelis, including 39 civilians killed in rocket attacks by Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon, but the military failed to achieve the goals laid out by the government -winning return of two captured soldiers and crushing Hezbollah.

A government inquiry committee is set to present its interim findings next month, and harsh criticism of the government and military is expected after one of the rare wars in which Israel's armed forces did not emerge the clear victors. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Defense Minister Amir Peretz lost most of their public support as a result of the inconclusive war.

At a memorial day ceremony, acting President Dalia Itzik appealed to her people to remain positive despite the outcome. "We must not fall into endless self-flagellation that stays our hand and paralyzes all action," she said.  Itzik replaced Katsav, who is one of several leaders facing serious allegations of misconduct.  Olmert himself is under investigation for alleged improper profits in real estate deals and allegedly trying, but failing, to influence a government tender to favor friends.

Finance Minister Avraham Hirchson stands accused of embezzling millions of dollars from a labor union he headed. Like Katsav, Hirchson stepped down temporarily because of the inquiry. Also, former Cabinet minister Haim Ramon was convicted of forcibly kissing a female soldier, and even Israel's two chief rabbis have been embroiled in scandal.

Reflecting on the deterioration, columnist Ben Caspit wrote in the Maariv daily, "No other people is consumed with such burning self-hatred. You can see it everywhere, in politics, in the media, on the roads," where about 500 Israelis are killed in accidents every year - many times the number of those killed in terror attacks. - AP