Ministerial panel advances bills increasing government control over senior appointments

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday voted to back a pair of controversial bills intended to give the government greater control over senior appointments, despite the Attorney General’s Office warning that, if passed, the legislation would harm the public and “turn government companies into a pool of jobs for appointing associates.”

The first bill, sponsored by Likud MK Avichai Boaron, would loosen the rules for appointing the heads of government corporations, such as the Mekorot water company or Israel Electric Corporation, granting ministers far greater leeway than previously allowed.

Under the current system, ministers nominate candidates from a pool of qualified candidates who are screened and vetted by an independent committee. However, Boaron’s bill would allow ministers to directly nominate candidates of their choice, including those who do not meet the current educational and experience requirements.

The bill would also narrow the definition of political, personal, and business ties that disqualify a candidate while also allowing the relevant ministers to appoint the head of the committee vetting the suitability of their chosen candidate.

In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office slammed the Boaron’s bill, declaring that it would “turn government companies into a pool of positions for the appointment of insiders.”

Such changes “harm the professionalism of the companies’ management and will harm the perception of their credibility and professionalism in the competitive business environment in Israel and abroad,” and will cause economic damage, the statement argued.

Edna Harel Fisher, the head of the Israel Democracy Institute’s Public Corruption Program, agreed, telling The Times of Israel that the proposed legislation sought “to fundamentally change key arrangements in the management of government companies, which are state-owned assets, public assets, which include some of the largest and most important companies in the Israeli economy, major infrastructure and service companies, and defense industries.”

“The key changes are destined to severely damage the professionalism of the management of government companies, create dependence on appointing ministers, and pave the way for political appointees lacking appropriate qualifications or having personal and business ties to ministers in the government,” she said.

In a social media post ahead of Sunday’s vote, Blue and White chairman Benny Gantz complained that the coalition is focused on “appoint[ing] friends to senior positions” rather than governing effectively.

“Instead of appointing people who will work for the citizens — they appoint those who will work for the politicians,” he posted on X.

Boaron’s bill is identical to a proposal by Regional Cooperation Minister David Amsalem, who has been pushing to overhaul the current appointments system. Amsalem’s efforts led then-Government Companies Authority director Michal Rosenbaum to claim in 2023 that he was working to make illegitimate and political appointments at dozens of government companies.

In response, Amsalem defended his push to fire Rosenbaum and attempts to appoint personal acquaintances to senior positions in government companies, saying he preferred to tap candidates he knows well.

As part of this effort, Likud MK Nissim Vaturi pushed related legislation over the summer that would permit associates of ministers to be appointed as heads of government companies without needing “special qualifications.”

The Ministerial Committee for Legislation on Sunday also approved a bill by Likud MK Osher Shekalim that would allow the government to appoint senior officials such as the police commissioner, Shin Bet chief, and governor of the Bank of Israel without consulting the Advisory Committee on Senior Civil Service Appointments.

Members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have expressed frustration with the committee, chaired by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, after it declined to fire Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara over the summer, prompting the cabinet to try and bypass it.

If passed into law, Shekalim’s legislation would allow the government to appoint senior officials without taking into consideration the committee’s recommendation.

Both Boaron’s and Shekalim’s bills — which are slated to go to the Knesset plenum for a preliminary reading this week — are part of a broader effort by the government to increase its control over appointments and erode the power of gatekeepers who can check its power.

In May, the High Court of Justice struck down a 2024 cabinet resolution to appoint a new head of the Civil Service without a competitive process.

The following month, the Ministerial Committee for Legislation backed bills allowing an incoming government to fire senior security officials and public officers within its first 100 days in office, and significantly eroding the authority of the attorney general over the legal advisers to government ministries.