The Movement for Quality Government in Israel to the prime minister and the attorney general: transferring the ministerial portfolios of Otzma Yehudit to Minister Haim Katz is extremely unreasonable
Adv. Rotem Bavli Dvir: The decision to appoint Minister Katz as acting minister of national security in parallel with three other ministerial positions is a disregard for the security needs of the country’s citizens in a time of war
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel appealed yesterday, Tuesday 29 January, to Prime Minister Netanyahu and the attorney general, demanding that they appoint permanent ministers to the positions vacated by the ministers of the Otzma Yehudit/Jewish Power party, instead of Minister Haim Katz.
To recall, in light of the resignation of the Otzma Yehudit ministers, the prime minister decided to appoint tourism minister Haim Katz as acting minister for their portfolios. This means that Minister Katz holds the portfolios of tourism, national security, heritage, Negev-Galilee and national resilience.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel claims in its appeal that there is a serious concern that the decision to appoint Minister Katz to these four ministerial positions simultaneously is extremely unreasonable and was taken in an arbitrary manner, to the extent that it should be overturned. The Movement believes that such conduct not only leads to diminishing of the role of a minister in the State of Israel, especially when it comes to such a senior and sensitive ministerial position, but is also liable to have serious consequences for national security and the sense of personal security in the State of Israel, which are already on a negative trend, during a period of prolonged war.
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel insists on the need to act as soon as possible to appoint a permanent, full-time minister of national security, who will be entrusted with all the important functions arising from this position, putting the public interest and security first.
Adv. Rotem Bavli Dvir, head of the legal department of the Movement for Quality Government in Israel: “The citizens of Israel deserve a full-time minister of national security who will devote all his time and energy solely to this issue, and not be preoccupied with the affairs of another ministry, let alone the affairs of three other ministries.
The decision to appoint Minister Katz as acting minister for all those positions is a disregard for the security needs of the country’s citizens in a time of war, and will directly reflect on the quality of the service we receive. We expect Minister Katz to understand that he cannot take on all those cases, and for the prime minister to make permanent appointments to these positions as soon as possible.”
