Netanyahu selects Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner despite opposition from AG

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu officially appoints attorney Roi Kahlon as acting civil service commissioner despite opposition from the Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

In a statement, the Prime Minister’s Office praises Kahlon’s “extensive experience in senior management” and said that Netanyahu had found “no gap” between his qualifications and resume.

Baharav-Miara’s office told Netanyahu last week that Kahlon did not meet the criteria for the position. In a position paper, Deputy Attorney General Gil Limon wrote that Kahlon claimed in his resumé to have far greater management experience than he actually has.

However, in announcing he had chosen to go ahead with the appointment, Netanyahu counters that he had “closely monitored his qualifications over the past year, and even received warm recommendations from senior figures in the public service and the law enforcement system.”

“I am certain that attorney Kahlon’s contribution will help strengthen the civil service for the benefit of all Israeli citizens, and I wish him success in his role as acting civil service commissioner,” Netanyahu states.

Netanyahu’s decision to appoint Kahlon came after the government approved a measure last August allowing the prime minister to directly nominate the next commissioner rather than use 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.