Education Minister Yoav Kish Secures Legal Advisor's Departure from Higher Education Council After Years of Conflict
After more than three years of attempts, Israeli Education Minister Yoav Kish has succeeded in prompting the resignation of Yael Tur Kaspa, the legal advisor to the Council for Higher Education (CHE). The council announced her departure, effective October 30, 2024. Kish blamed Tur Kaspa for significant delays in his efforts to control the council, particularly a two-year stall in appointing his ally, Professor Dudi Schwartz from Ono Academic College, as the council's de facto chairperson.
Tur Kaspa’s resignation timing likely prevents Kish from appointing her successor before the upcoming elections, similar to the July resignation of five CHE members after the Knesset was dissolved, a period when Kish cannot make appointments. Maya Logasi Ben Hamo, CHE’s CEO, informed staff that a formal selection process for the new legal advisor will begin after Tur Kaspa’s departure.
Tur Kaspa, who founded and led the CHE’s legal department for 25 years, played a key role in legal processes, legislative amendments, and regulatory matters related to the council. The main point of contention was Kish’s failed attempt in May 2023 to appoint Schwartz as chair, which Tur Kaspa blocked by interpreting council rules to require a majority of votes from those present, not just participants. This procedural ruling was part of broader bureaucratic obstacles Kish faced.
In May 2024, Tur Kaspa’s lawyer requested government legal backing amid claims she endured harassment and defamatory attacks from several council members, especially Schwartz. Following these disputes, the CHE’s audit committee, led by former MK Roy Folkman, commissioned a legal opinion from former accountants’ association chair Iris Shterk. Tur Kaspa’s attorneys accused the audit report of being a coordinated defamation campaign, criticizing the process as unfair and premature. Folkman defended the audit’s integrity, emphasizing the necessity of oversight and improvement within the council.
