Education Ministry director fired amid spat with minister
Yigal Slovik, who was appointed in June, reportedly claims 'gaps' between him and Yifat Shasha-Biton; sources close to minister say he refused to accept her policies
Education Ministry Director-General Yigal Slovik was fired from his post on Sunday, due to a spat with the office’s minister Yifat Shasha-Biton, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
An official letter signed by Shasha-Biton informed Slovik of the termination of his employment at the end of December, after the two spoke on the matter on Wednesday.
According to Channel 12 news, Slovik claimed that there had been “gaps” between him and the minister, and sources close to Shasha-Biton said that his termination had been in the offing for some time.
The sources told the network that Slovik’s dismissal was partly due to him not accepting Shasha-Biton’s positions on a number of issues and policies.
Slovik was appointed only in June, when a new government was sworn in. He previously headed the military’s ground forces’ manpower division.
Shasha-Biton, a member of the right-wing New Hope party, has been particularly outspoken in her criticism of much of the government’s approach to the coronavirus.
While she originally opposed vaccinating children on school grounds, she eventually somewhat walked back her sharp opposition.
Shasha-Biton has been the target of repeated threats over the past few months, and has risen to prominence as a vocal and outspoken member of the coronavirus cabinet.
She has also repeatedly clashed with Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz over coronavirus restrictions in schools and has been the subject of multiple anonymous attacks in the press.
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