Kariv Accuses Diaspora Ministry of Rushing Appointments and Agreements

Lawmaker Gilad Kariv accused the Diaspora Affairs Ministry on November 13 of rushing appointments and agreements during the transition period. In a statement, he alleged that a long series of political appointments were being presented as professional ones and that agreements worth tens of millions of shekels were being concluded in breach of the rules governing a caretaker government. Kariv said he would approach the attorney general at the beginning of the week about the matter. He also called on the ministry’s legal advisers and financial oversight officials to fulfil their responsibilities and draw a red line against the measures he described. The legal background includes attorney-general guidance collected in July 2022 ahead of the election for the 25th Knesset. Guideline 1.1501 addresses appointments during a transition period and sets out the need to balance the continuity of government with restraint in exercising government powers. Under that guidance, appointments should generally await a new government unless a genuine, essential need justifies proceeding. The document also makes clear that there is no absolute prohibition on appointments during a transition period, including senior appointments.