Toronto (September 19, 2019) – Israel is the only country in the Middle East that can be considered ‘free,’ according to the Freedom in the World 2019 report released by Freedom House. The report, which evaluates the real-world rights and freedoms exercised by citizens across the world, confirms the deficits of freedom in most of the Middle East and highlights the important exceptionalism of Israel as the sole ‘free’ country in the area.

The report, which relies on variety of indicators of civil liberties, political rights and freedoms, gave Israel a ‘Freedom Score’ of 78 out of 100, with 0 being ‘Least Free’ and 100 being ‘Most Free.’ Neighbouring Syria, in contrast, received a ‘Freedom Score’ of 0 – the only country to receive that score - while Gaza received a score of 11, Egypt a score of 22,West Bank a 25, and Lebanon a 45.

“This report affirms Israel’s status as an open, liberal democracy, one of the freest countries in the world,” said FSWC president and CEO Avi Benlolo. “While Israel’s opponents seek to misrepresent the truth, making every type of accusation against Israel, the facts presented by Freedom House speak for themselves. Israel stands out as a strong, robust democracy that guarantees freedom for all its citizens, an example for other countries in the Middle East.”