Adv. Rotem Bavli Dvir: The prime minister is acting contrary to the rules of good governance by dismissing in one fell swoop six out of ten members of a committee whose job is to ensure professional, not political, appointments”
The Movement for Quality of Government wrote yesterday, Tuesday 27 May, to the prime minister, the attorney general, and the civil service commission, demanding that the prime minister revoke the decision to terminate the term of office of six out of ten members of the appointments committee, headed by the civil service commissioner.
The letter sent by the Movement claims that this is a grave decision motivated by extraneous considerations and contrary to the principles of good governance. According to media reports, the prime minister ordered the dismissal of six committee members, all of whom had been appointed during the Bennett-Lapid government.
According to the Movement, the role of the appointments committee is to examine the qualifications and suitability of candidates for senior positions in the public service who are exempt from the tender requirement and are appointed by the government. This is in order to ensure the integrity of candidates for senior positions in the public service, and so that appointments are made according to transparent criteria and based on relevant considerations, taking into account the candidate’s qualifications and suitability for the position, and not for reasons of political affiliation or other irrelevant considerations.
The Movement claims that the prime minister’s motives in making his decision ostensibly stem from extraneous considerations and from the intention to control the identity of those sitting on the appointments committee, thereby strengthening his influence and personal control over all appointments to senior positions in the public service. The explanation for this, according to the Movement, may be related to the prime minister’s previous attempt to appoint Ms. Drorit Steinmetz as director-general of the prime minister’s office – an appointment that was opposed by the civil service commission due to legal difficulties, including two disciplinary proceedings that were conducted against her.
The Movement further notes that according to the Interpretation Law, the prime minister’s exercise of authority to terminate the term of office of committee members is conditional on consultation with the attorney general and the civil service commissioner – consultation that did not take place prior to the decision being made, in a manner that constitutes another serious flaw in the decision.
The Movement emphasizes that since there is currently no civil service commissioner, the prime minister will first have to appoint a civil service commissioner through a permanent appointment mechanism based on a competitive process, in accordance with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter.
Adv. Rotem Bavli Dvir, head of the legal department at the Movement for Quality Government in Israel: “The Prime Minister, with his arbitrary and invalid decision, is trying to take control of the appointments committee so that it serves his political interests, instead of the public interest. The dismissal of six committee members in one fell swoop, without any substantive reasons given and without consultation as required by law, constitutes a serious violation of the principles of good governance and of the mechanism designed to ensure professional and substantive appointments in the public service. We demand that the prime minister revoke his invalid decision and that the attorney general intervene to prevent harm to the rule of law.”
the letter:
פניה בעניין החלטת ראש הממשלה לפטר את חברי וועדת המינויים-27.5.25
