Government bill · 25th Knesset · published as law 7 January 2024
חוק שירות המדינה (מינויים) (תיקון מס' 20), התשפ"ד–2024Civil Service Law (Appointments) (Amendment No. 20), 2024 · automatic translation · suggest a correction
Status: התקבלה בקריאה שלישית
Official summary of the law (Knesset)
It was determined that a person appointed by the Government to serve as head of a diplomatic or consular mission abroad must be required to declare before the Minister of Foreign Affairs or a state employee authorized for this purpose in Regulations, that they undertake to maintain loyalty to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and to fulfill their duties faithfully.
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Hebrew original
נקבע כי יש לחייב את מי שמונה על ידי הממשלה למשרת ראש נציגות דיפלומטית או קונסולרית בחוץ לארץ, להצהיר בפני שר החוץ או עובד מדינה שהוסמך לכך בתקנות כי הוא מתחייב לשמור אמונים למדינת ישראל כמדינה יהודית ודמוקרטית ולמלא באמונה את תפקידו.
Readings
- Bill passed first reading19 for · 6 against
- 3 January 2024 · Third readingהצעת חוק שירות המדינה (מינויים) (תיקון מס' 20), התשפ"ד–2024Bill on Civil Service Law (Appointments) (Amendment No. 20), 2024autoLaw passed9 for · 2 against
What was said in the plenum
The bill requires anyone appointed as head of a diplomatic or consular mission abroad to make an additional declaration of allegiance, according to which they will maintain allegiance to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, beyond the regular declaration of allegiance made by state employees. The debate centered on whether this is necessary legislation to prevent problematic appointments to representative positions abroad, or rather a symbolic and hypocritical step whose real purpose is political, particularly in light of the opposition of some of the sponsoring members of Knesset to enshrining the same terms in the Basic Law: Israel as the Nation-State of the Jewish People.
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Hebrew original
הצעת החוק מחייבת כל מי שממונה לראש נציגות דיפלומטית או קונסולרית בחו״ל להצהיר הצהרת אמונים נוספת, ולפיה הוא ישמור אמונים למדינת ישראל כמדינה יהודית ודמוקרטית, זאת מעבר להצהרת האמונים הרגילה של עובדי המדינה. הדיון נסב סביב השאלה האם מדובר בחקיקה נחוצה למניעת מינויים בעייתיים לתפקידי ייצוג בחו״ל, או שמא בצעד סמלי וצבוע שמטרתו האמיתית פוליטית, בפרט לנוכח התנגדות חלק מהח״כים היוזמים לעגן את אותם המונחים בחוק-יסוד: הלאום.
Arguments for
- A diplomatic or consular representative is the state's most senior representative abroad and must express loyalty to the state and its Jewish and democratic character as a condition for representing it.
- The past appointment of a former Knesset member who does not recognize the state as Jewish and supports a boycott to a consular position illustrates the need to prevent similar absurd appointments in the future.
- A diplomat who does not believe in the state's values will be unable to fight for it and defend its interests in the hostile international arena.
- It is precisely diplomats, who are on the front line facing a hostile international community, who especially need such a declaration in order to proudly highlight Israel's national identity.Amit Halevi (Likud)
- The law is not related to the religious identity of diplomats, and the state continues to integrate diplomats from all communities and sectors.
Arguments against
- This is ridiculous legislation devoid of practical content, since all state employees already declare allegiance to the state and its laws, and the principle of its being Jewish and democratic is already enshrined in the Basic Laws.Gilad Kariv (Labor)
- There is hypocrisy in the fact that the same sponsors previously opposed anchoring the expression 'Jewish and democratic' and the Declaration of Independence in Basic Law: The Nation State, and now present themselves as champions of this principle.Gilad Kariv (Labor)
- The law is not truly intended to ensure proper representation of the state abroad, but is intended to poke a finger in the eye of the state's Arab citizens and serve purposes of political propaganda and primaries.Gilad Kariv (Labor)
- If the declaration is so important, it is unclear why it applies only to diplomats and not also to members of Knesset, ministers, the President of the State, and other officeholders.
- The bill does not constitute a sincere step on behalf of the state's values when the initiating government includes members who are themselves unwilling to commit to a Jewish and democratic state.Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu)
Who spoke (8)
| Member | Faction | Readings | Speeches | In the final vote |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Cohen | — | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Oded Forer | Yisrael Beytenu opposition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Gilad Kariv | Labor opposition | First reading, Third reading | 2 | no record |
| Moshe Roth | United Torah Judaism coalition | First reading | 1 | no record |
| Simcha Rothman | Religious Zionism coalition | Third reading | 1 | no record |
| Ariel Kallner | Likud coalition | Third reading | 1 | for |
| Amit Halevi | Likud coalition | Third reading | 1 | for |
| Eli Cohen | — | Third reading | 1 | no record |
An automatic summary of the plenum transcripts: the debate on the bill at every reading it was voted on. Arguments are given as the speakers made them; this is not an assessment. The list of speakers comes from the transcript, without a model. Transcripts of the sittings: 1, 2 · write to the author
Reservations to the second reading
No reservations were filed to this bill.
Asked to speak: Ayman Odeh (Hadash–Ta'al), Ahmad Tibi (Hadash–Ta'al), Aida Touma Sliman (Hadash–Ta'al), Ofer Cassif (Hadash–Ta'al), Youssef Atauna (Hadash–Ta'al), Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu), Oded Forer (Yisrael Beytenu), Evgeny Sova (Yisrael Beytenu), Sharon Nir (Yisrael Beytenu), Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu), Hamad Amar (Yisrael Beytenu), Ariel Kallner (Likud), Merav Michaeli (Labor), Naama Lazimi (Labor), Gilad Kariv (Labor), Efrat Rayten Marom (Labor)
Committee version for the second and third reading (PDF) · write to the author
Reservations, sections and other votes (1)
In order. Votes on reservations and individual sections are shown separately from the vote on the bill as a whole.
- 3 January 2024 · Second reading · סעיף 1הצעת חוק שירות המדינה (מינויים) (תיקון מס' 20), התשפ"ד–2024Bill on Civil Service Law (Appointments) (Amendment No. 20), 2024auto8 for · 0 againstVote on sections of the bill