Likud’s public diplomacy minister quits, acknowledging her office is ‘waste of public money’

Public Diplomacy Minister Galit Distel Atbaryan resigns from her position, lamenting that her much-mocked ministry has been stripped during the Gaza war of the little powers it was given when it was formed at the beginning of the year.

In a lengthy tweet, Distel Atbaryan says that this week, the government empowered the Diaspora Affairs Ministry to direct Israel’s public diplomacy abroad alongside the Foreign Ministry’s work, rendering her ministry “a waste of public money.”

Many reporters and observers have noted throughout this year that Distel Atbaryan’s ministry had no real powers or justification, with the ministry consisting solely of the minister’s office. She tried and failed several times to appoint a ministry director-general, and its few products — online videos and posts in English attempting to convey the government’s position on matters such as the judicial overhaul — were widely mocked for their quality and delayed messaging.