From the Liveblog of
Sunday, September 8, 2024
Cabinet approves extending civil service head’s term amid storm over selection of replacement
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
The cabinet approves a proposal by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the tenure of Civil Service Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz until December 12 or until another permanent commissioner is appointed, the Prime Minister’s Office announces.
Hershkowitz is set to complete his term in October. Despite the opposition of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, the government last month approved a measure allowing Netanyahu to directly nominate the next civil service commissioner, rather than using a search committee.
She argued that the person who fills the role of civil service commissioner, which involves supervising civil servants, must be approved by a search committee headed by a retired Supreme Court justice, citing a 2018 government decision that was made to ensure the position’s independence. However, this process is not enshrined in legislation.
Responding at the time, Netanyahu’s office asserted that the responsibility to choose a civil service commissioner lay with “the nation,” represented by the elected government, and argued there was no reason to grant civil service professionals a say in the matter.
On Friday, Baharav-Miara told the High Court of Justice that Netanyahu’s plan is illegal and “creates a new situation whereby the prime minister will be able to choose a person he wishes to be appointed to the position who does not have to meet minimum professional threshold conditions of experience, skills or suitability.”
