The Foreign Minister's condition for a mission abroad: The Knesset plenum approved today (Sunday) the law initiated by Foreign Minister Eli Cohen, which stipulates that ambassadors, diplomats and consuls in the Foreign Service of the State of Israel will be required to make an explicit declaration to preserve the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, as a condition for their appointments.
Ministers approved: Diplomats will be obliged to declare allegiance to a Jewish and democratic Israel | Knesset Channel
According to Cohen, the background to the bill is preventing the appointment of ambassadors such as former MK Rinawi Zoabi, who did not recognize the State of Israel as Jewish and democratic.
"Committed to maintaining allegiance to Israel as Jewish and democratic"
Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said today: "The role of the state's emissaries and representatives is to represent the State of Israel and its values and act in its interests. The State of Israel is a Jewish and democratic state, and anyone who does not recognize this will not be able to serve as an ambassador and represent the State of Israel."
According to the law, a person appointed to the position of head of diplomatic or consular missions abroad must, before being given a letter of appointment, declare, in addition to the current declaration, an additional declaration, along the lines of "I am committed to maintaining allegiance to the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."
Minister Eli Cohen, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
This is in addition to the declaration that a civil servant must make today before being given a letter of appointment (according to section 34A of the Civil Service (Appointments) Law, 1959), in the following wording:
"I pledge to remain loyal to the State of Israel and its laws and to fulfill with integrity and faith every duty imposed on me as a civil servant."
Those who do not commit will not be able to protect their reputation
The purpose of the amendment is to prevent the possibility of appointments such as the appointment of former Knesset member Rinawi Zoabi (Meretz), who was appointed by Yair Lapid as consulate in Shanghai, despite the fact that she caused a storm following her statements against the State of Israel.
According to the rationale of the bill, the ability of those who do not recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state to represent the state and defend its good name in the world is questionable.
Rida Rinawi Zoabi, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
According to the explanatory notes of the law: "The head of a diplomatic or consular mission is the official and senior representative of the sovereign in the foreign state, who represents, by virtue of his position, the positions of the state and the government abroad and on its behalf, as well as in light of the importance of representativeness and statehood required by the head of mission, who is responsible for political, security, economic, informational, cultural and scientific relations vis-à-vis the most senior officials in the state of office and by virtue of his position."
It added: "In light of his responsibility and duty to faithfully articulate the government's policy, both foreign relations and domestic policy, and his role is to represent Israeli policies," therefore, the declaration to be made before the foreign minister or a civil servant authorized to do so by regulations was added.
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