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Sunday, April 26, 2026
Government unanimously approves appointment of Doron Cohen as civil service commissioner
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The cabinet unanimously approves the appointment of Doron Cohen as Civil Service Commissioner.
Cohen will begin his six-year tenure on May 5, or after any conflict of interest procedures are completed, the Prime Minister’s Office says.
Cohen’s appointment had the backing of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to reports, Michal Halperin, a member of the committee that selected Cohen, opposed his appointment, noting the lack of women in senior positions in Israel.
The Ynet news site says Cohen’s appointment was opposed by some within Netanyahu’s Likud party as he was considered to be close to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the leader of the far-right Religious Zionism party.
Cohen previously served as director general of the Finance Ministry, head of the Government Companies Authority, and chair of the board of directors at Cellcom.
The Civil Service commissioner oversees all the civil servants in the Civil Service, which runs public services in the country, and has authority over senior appointments, promotions, and dismissals in the Civil Service, the allocation of tasks within its departments, and disciplinary processes.
Cohen’s appointment comes after a long-running storm over the replacement of his predecessor Daniel Hershkowitz.
The Times of Israel Community.