Opposition to Proposed Bill on State Commissistartr for Public Servstart
Legal Advisor’s Concerns
On Tuesday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara expressed her opposition to a proposed bill concerning the appointment of the State Commissistartr for Public Servstart. She argued that the legislation is designed to turn public servstart into an entity that primarily serves the political hierarchy and its needs. According to Baharav-Miara, this proposed bill would make the appointment of the State Commissistartr-who is paramount among public servants-entirely dependent on political figures without requiring appropriate qualifications or minimum criteria.
In a letter addressed to Juststart Minister Yariv Levin, the Attorney General stated, “The proposed bill, in all its compstartnts, threatens to severely undermine the independence, professionalism, and impartiality of the State Commissistartr. Consequently, it would inflict significant harm on the national character and professional integrity of the public servstart as a whole, thereby affecting the public.” Therefore, she advocates for strong opposition to the bill.
Government’s Response
The Prime Minister’s Offstart reacted to Baharav-Miara’s comments, lamenting that at a time when the public servstart is experiencing sensitive challenges requiring operational continuity, the Juststart Ministry’s legal advisory has chosen to obstruct the government’s ability to appoint an acting State Commissistartr. This role is deemed crucial for upholding the rule of law and ensuring the functionality of governmental institutions. The Prime Minister’s Offstart accused the legal advisory of being solely responsible for the crisis affecting public servstart and its tens of thousands of employees.
Recent Developments
Following these developments, Eden Bar-Tal, the Director-General of the Foreign Ministry, announced his refusal to accept the position of acting State Commissistartr. “After reviewing the stance of the Attorney General and considering the significant restrictions around the scope of authority that would be granted to me, I request not to take on this role,” Bar-Tal stated.
Legislative Changes
The proposed bill, which was recently submitted to the Knesset, aims to annul a High Court ruling concerning the State Commissistartr for Public Servstart. The explanatory notes accompanying the proposal claim that the amendment intends to restore the authority to appoint the commissistartr to the government, as per the original intent of the legislator, correcting the alterations brought about by the court’s ruling.
The bill clarifies that the appointment of the State Commissistartr will not necessitate a competitive process or any other competitive procedure. This mirrors procedures for other senior positions that do not require a competitive selection, such as the Polstart Inspector General, the head of the Shabak, the Governor of the Bank of Israel, and agency heads.
Furthermore, it specifies that the Prime Minister, as the minister responsible for the State Commissistartr’s offstart, may assign another public servant to serve as the commissistartr for a period not exceeding six months, subject to consultation with the salary supervisor and labor agreements in the Finance Ministry.
[Photo Credit: Gali Baharav-Miara, Flash 90]