AG sides with High Court against PM on petition over acting civil service commissioner
Jeremy Sharon is The Times of Israel’s legal affairs and settlements reporter
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara takes the side of a High Court petition against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, telling the High Court of Justice that she opposes the prime minister’s pick for acting civil service commissioner, Roi Kahlon, whom Netanyahu appointed last week in defiance of the attorney general’s position.
The State Attorney’s Office, writing for the attorney general, says Kahlon is unqualified for the job, that there was therefore a legal impediment to appointing him, and that a petition calling for the appointment to be cancelled should be accepted.
In the state’s response to the petition, filed by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel, the state lawyers note that Kahlon, who served for 15 years in the State Attorney’s Office, does not however have the necessary senior management experience required by the criteria for the civil service commissioner position.
“The appointment was made with a blatant lack of compatibility between Respondent 3’s [Kahlon’s] experience and the requirements of this elevated and sensitive position,” said Baharav-Miara, highlighting the extensive powers and influence that even an acting head of the civil service wields.
“On a substantive examination of the matter, his qualifications and experience are not suitable for the position, even as an acting commissioner,” she adds.
The High Court will hold hearings over the appointment tomorrow.