Knesset Advances Sweeping Governance Bills in Preliminary Vote

Photo: Noam Moskowitz / Dani Shem Tov, Knesset Spokesperson

The Knesset approved, in a preliminary reading, a series of sweeping governance bills. Mati Tuchfeld, 5 hours ago. 9 112 0

The coalition completed the advancement of the governance bills in a preliminary reading, after reaching an agreement with the ultra-Orthodox factions in return for approval of Basic Law: Torah Study. The legislation grants the government broad powers in appointing and replacing senior officials in the civil service, the security establishment and the justice system. In the coalition, the move is defined as a central step in the fight against the “deep state” and in strengthening the ability of an elected government to implement its policy.

The four coalition governance bills that came up for a vote today, Wednesday, in a preliminary reading, were advanced with the support of the ultra-Orthodox factions, according to the agreement reached with them yesterday in exchange for approval of Basic Law: Torah Study. These are significant laws that will change the structure of the civil service and allow an elected government to govern and implement its policy while having full control over the identity of the senior echelon and the public officials who are supposed to serve it. In the coalition, these laws are seen as critical in the fight against the deep state and in an attempt to neutralize the rule of unelected officials and jurists.

The laws were initiated by MKs Shalom Danino, Osher Shkalim, Tzvika Foghel and others, while the Prime Minister’s Office was behind the scenes pushing them and ensuring they were included in the understandings over the laws the ultra-Orthodox factions would support. The first law approved states that a uniform mechanism will be established for appointing, not appointing and removing senior officials in the civil service, under which the government will have full and exclusive authority in these matters, subject to the eligibility conditions set for the position. According to the law, the list of positions to which the arrangement is proposed to apply includes the IDF chief of staff, police commissioner, Shin Bet chief, Mossad chief, Prisons Service commissioner, Civil Service Commissioner, attorney general, head of the High Court petitions department, directors general of government ministries and deputy directors, and any office whose appointment requires government approval.

The law also states that appointments will be made on the proposal of a minister or the prime minister, that the Knesset may hold hearings for candidates and present its recommendations to the government, and that the terms of senior civil service officials will end within 100 days of a new government being formed, unless the government decides otherwise. It is also proposed that the government may remove a senior civil service official from office after he or she has been given an opportunity to present their position.

The second approved bill, in effect a complementary law to the first, establishes a mechanism for examining whether a candidate meets the eligibility conditions for the position, as well as a Knesset hearing committee that will hold a hearing for the candidate and submit its recommendations to the government. It is proposed to set out a detailed mechanism for the appointment process, so that the choice of a candidate will be at the discretion of the minister responsible for proposing the appointment, the examination of the candidate’s compliance with the statutory eligibility conditions will be carried out by the proposed eligibility committee, the proposed Knesset hearing committee will be authorized to hold a recorded hearing for the candidate and submit its conclusions to the government, and these will be published to the public together with the filmed record of the hearing before the government decides on the appointment.

The law also states that no restrictions may be added, except by law, to the procedures set out in this section for locating, proposing and appointing candidates to senior posts. The law also provides for indirect amendments to various laws concerning the appointment of senior officials, including the attorney general, Civil Service Commissioner, police commissioner, Shin Bet chief, Prisons Service commissioner, head of the Israel Land Authority and the National Security Council head, so that the proposed appointment mechanism will apply to them.

Another bill approved today in the Knesset in a preliminary reading states that senior civil service appointments will be made by the government, on the proposal of the relevant minister, without the need for approval by an advisory committee. The fourth bill seeks to regulate the authority of a newly elected government to end the terms of senior officeholders in the security, justice and finance systems during the first 100 days of its term, while preserving the principle of institutional continuity.

Deep state, attorney general, Knesset, coalition. 9 wrote תגובה