A series of rulings and decisions over the years by the Attorney General determined that the transitional government is prohibited from making appointments to permanent positions. However, the current government is appointing individuals to senior positions in the civil service.
Israel Hayom reported that a committee of examiners will meet in Jerusalem on August 21 to discuss the appointment of a legal advisor to the Ministry of Public Security. Many candidates were invited to attend, and this is the last stage of the appointment process.
This joins another appointment that caused a storm: the appointment of Meni Mazuz as chairman of the Committee for Senior Appointments.
A senior official involved in the appointment issue strongly criticizes the continuation of appointments during the transitional government period: "We suddenly see urgency and several appointments in the various ministries. Everything is being done quickly, before the elections in November. In the past, appointments to religious councils and judges were disqualified. There are also instructions from the former ombudsman that prohibit senior appointments."
"The position of a legal advisor is a senior position. And not only is this an appointment of senior officials during a transitional government, but it is also an appointment that has political implications. Take, for example, the appointment of the ombudsman in the Ministry of Public Security. The person who sits on this committee is the Director General of the ministry, in this case, appointed by current Minister Omer Barlev (Labor). After the elections, both Barlev and this Director General will not be there - so what is the rush to appoint? Doesn't it make more sense to wait three months? Someone is trying to steal a political horse here. It's something that shouldn't be done," he adds.
"When they talked about the appointment of the Chief of Staff, they talked about the fact that it was an operational appointment, important, that it has an impact on Israel's security, and only because of this [and after the presentation of security information] they uncharacteristically approve the appointment," the source went on. "What is so critical and operational about approving the appointment of legal advisers?"
The Civil Service Commission stated: "This is not an appointment committee, but rather a tender procedure, which is a competitive procedure. Ministry ombudsmen are professional positions, and therefore the procedure regarding the Exceptions Committee during elections does not apply to them. These are professional positions that are filled through a competitive tender procedure, and these procedures continue as usual regardless of the election period."