Netanyahu selects attorney Roi Kahlon for role of acting civil service commissioner

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara that he wishes to appoint attorney Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner following the end of Daniel Hershkowitz’s tenure earlier this month, his office says in a statement.

The announcement comes after the government approved a measure last August allowing the prime minister to directly nominate the next commissioner rather than using a search committee.

The measure was opposed by Baharav-Miara, who argued that the plan is illegal and “creates a new situation whereby the prime minister will be able to choose a person he wishes to be appointed to the position who does not have to meet minimum professional threshold conditions of experience, skills or suitability.”

Amid the ongoing legal battle over the issue, the High Court of Justice froze the process for appointing a new permanent civil service commissioner, leaving the government to appoint a temporary placeholder commissioner instead.

In a statement regarding the decision, the Prime Minister’s Office writes that Kahlon has “extensive experience in the field of senior management, with impressive achievements in civil service.”

Netanyahu praises Kahlon for his “extensive experience in senior management, managing employees on a large scale, and in the fields of public policy and government work.”

“I am convinced that Attorney Kahlon is the most suitable appointment at this time for the position of acting civil service commissioner — and I wish him success in the position,” Netanyahu adds.