The resignation of MK Jida Rinawi Zoabi from Meretz shakes the government. While Zoabi claims that her resignation comes against the background of "the coalition leaders' preference to preserve and strengthen its right-wing side", it may be below the surface that the difficulties in appointing Israel Consulate in Shanghai .
As we reported in "Israel Today" earlier this month, a source close to the committee for the appointment of senior officials in the Civil Service Commission recently said in a closed conversation that Lapid's intention to appoint Zoabi to the important position is causing problems.
According to him, it is difficult to appoint a senior diplomat to the post, who objects to the state anthem and its basic values.
The insider said that against this background, the committee may not approve the appointment.
He stressed that this was a professional defect in functioning and not a reference to her political positions.
Lapid announced his intention to appoint Zoabi in February, and since then the appointment has not materialized.
"Israel Today" revealed that the procedure is progressing lazily and probably not by chance: only two months after the announcement, Lapid forwarded the request to appoint the Zoabi to the Civil Service Commission.
The request was transferred only after another request from "Israel Today" to the Lapid bureau.
As you may recall, Lapid reached a deal with Zoabi, after it voted against the draft law, which has meanwhile already been passed in the Knesset.
The appointment, which was also made before MK Silman retired from the coalition, is expected to be legally challenging.
More than 20 years ago, the High Court criticized the intention of the then Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, to appoint the then MK, Yossi Katz, as Israel's ambassador to Germany, as part of a political deal.
Since Zoabi's appointment was made at the expense of the quota of political appointments to which the foreign minister is entitled, her candidacy does not require the approval of the ministry's appointments committee.
However, a committee headed by the Civil Service Commissioner, Rabbi Professor Daniel Hershkovitz, will examine, by law, Zoabi's professional suitability to serve as the second representative of Israel's importance in China.
The Lapid bureau argued that the delay in the appointment was due solely to bureaucracy.
Meanwhile, three months after Lapid's promise, the appointment did not materialize and Zoabi announced her retirement.
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