Finance Ministry director pushes back against PM’s criticism of office’s bureacrats

Finance Ministry director Karen Terner Eyal pushes back against criticism by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies over the conduct of bureaucrats in her office. The criticism came in regard to the bureaucrats’ handling of the government’s orders regarding the economic response to the coronavirus pandemic.

“It is very difficult for me to remain indifferent to the unprecedented criticism of my ministry’s staff, and in particular the head of the budget department Shaul Meridor, and in general to the very violent discourse that has been developing against us on social media,” she tweets.

She says the role of Meridor and the others is simply to implement the policy decisions of the government, and that they are not involved in making policy themselves.

Netanyahu on Friday lashed out at Finance Ministry officials who reportedly oppose his plan to disperse financial aid to all Israeli adults.

“It’s inconceivable that bureaucrats are briefing [the media] against decisions made by the government, and are working to thwart them. We won’t accept this,” Netanyahu wrote on Facebook.

The premier didn’t name any officials, but shared a post by Likud MK Shlomi Karai that included a large photo of Meridor.