Netanyahu appoints Foreign Ministry director general as temporary Civil Service commissioner in wake of High Court ruling

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appoints Foreign Ministry Director General Eden Bar Tal as temporary Civil Service commissioner for one month starting today, after the High Court of Justice ruled on Monday that the government’s method for appointing a new head of the Civil Service was invalid.

And in a statement to the press, the Prime Minister’s Office lambastes the High Court decision to intervene over how the Civil Service commissioner is appointed, accusing the court of “acting like the legislature” and “interpreting the law in total opposition” to its wording and the intention of the Knesset.

The Law for the Civil Service states that it is not obligatory to issue a public tender for the role of Civil Service commissioner, but the High Court ruled two to one that the appointments process must be competitive.

The government passed a cabinet resolution in 2024 allowing the prime minister to choose a single candidate for the post, to be vetted by committee.

The PMO says that as a result of the decision, the government will back legislation submitted to the Knesset yesterday to stipulate that the position need not be filled through a competitive process.