Rivlin, Gantz bemoan Treasury budget chief’s resignation

President Reuven Rivlin says he is very concerned about Shaul Meridor’s decision to resign as head of the Finance Ministry’s budget department and the implications of the move.

“Shaul is a first-class professional and one of the most dedicated civil servants I had the privilege to work with in recent years,” Rivlin says in a statement. “In these days, more than ever, Israel needs a professional and strong public bureaucracy that works together with the elected echelon to save the people and the country from the serious crisis that has befallen the entire world.”

Meridor sent a resignation letter to Finance Minister Israel Katz this evening decrying the government’s recent economic policies and decision-making process at the ministry under Katz.

“Shaul Meridor is a professional, dedicated and experienced person who contributed greatly to the Israeli economy in the framework of his role,” Defense Minister Benny Gantz tweets. “He did this in a complicated economic period and his departure is unfortunate.”