(Jerusalem Post) Herb Keinon - Israel is the Middle East's only "free" state, the U.S.-based Freedom House wrote in its annual report last week, a ranking in stark contrast to claims by the country's critics who argue that the Jewish state's democratic values are steadily eroding. The report, which ranks the world's countries by political rights and civil liberties, characterized Jordan and Syria as "not free," and Egypt and Lebanon as "partly free." Both the West Bank and Gaza are classified as "not free." Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Iran, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen were also rated "not free," while Tunisia, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, and Turkey were defined as "partly free."
2013-01-21 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive