Israeli Justice Ministry Launches Pilot to Reform Senior Prosecutor Appointments Amid Legal Dispute
In July 2025, Israeli Justice Minister Yariv Levin and his director-general Itamar Donenfeld initiated a pilot program to overhaul the appointment process for senior prosecutors. This initiative, involving the Justice Ministry, Civil Service Commission, and State Prosecution, aims to introduce objective selection tests and employment institute evaluations for candidates, seeking to reduce external influences and favoritism in appointments. The move follows a 2021 agreement to review prosecutorial selection methods, which had not been implemented until now.
Donenfeld froze ongoing prosecutor recruitment processes, including the key position of head of the High Court petitions department, pending inclusion in the pilot. This freeze sparked a legal challenge from the prosecutors' union, which argued that the 2021 agreement did not authorize freezing tenders and that the deadline for implementing changes expired in 2023. Donenfeld and the Civil Service Commission denied any breach, asserting the union is resisting reforms that would enhance public trust.
The pilot introduces knowledge exams to provide objective rankings, with deviations raising concerns about tender integrity. Current State Prosecutor Amit Isman supports the reform and appointed his deputy Eitan Lidar to the committee overseeing it. The High Court petitions department, responsible for representing the state in Supreme Court petitions and shaping government policy, has seen its current head's term extended to allow the pilot's start.
At a recent labor court hearing, union chair Orit Korin criticized the freeze, while the ministry's lawyer countered that the union opposes the reforms unless they align with its views. Former deputy director-general Yardena Turgeman-Asror testified that Donenfeld's interest in prosecutor tenders intensified after Isman altered job descriptions to emphasize fighting governmental corruption. Disputes have arisen over the pilot's scope, with Donenfeld seeking expansion beyond senior roles, opposed by Isman and the prosecutors' union, which accuses Donenfeld of delaying tenders to pressure agreement.
The case awaits a labor court ruling. The Justice Ministry and Civil Service Commission maintain that prosecutors uniquely resist objective selection tools, seeking privileges not granted to others. The union clarifies it supports objective tests but objects to their forceful imposition.
