Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 31, 2016
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, March 31, 2016
Despite storm, PM determined to name Baratz as communications chief
Benjamin Netanyahu is determined to appoint Ran Baratz as his new communications chief, five months after the appointment was put on hold due to his controversial social media postings, Channel 2 reports.
Shortly after Baratz was tapped, it emerged that he has posted a series of controversial Facebook posts attacking senior figures in Israel and abroad. Most notably, he called US President Barack Obama anti-Semitic, which led Netanyahu to freeze his nomination.
One of the government’s most senior positions, with responsibility for explaining the prime minister’s policies and coordinating the country’s public diplomacy strategy, the post has been vacant since August.
