The first woman is said to be appointed as the director-general of the ministry after it comes under members of the new government headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. heavy criticism More than two dozen ministries have so far appointed only male staffers to the role.
Likud’s Galit Distel Atberian was given the go-ahead to appoint Sharon Uzziel Peled as director-general of the Ministry of Public Diplomacy, the Cannes public broadcaster reported Wednesday, charged with combating anti-Israel discourse and boycotting campaigns. The allegation was made. The position of the ministry was separated from the Ministry of Strategic Affairs for Distal Atberians, which started as a minister within the Prime Minister’s Office in the current coalition.
Of the 31 ministries of the current government that was sworn in at the end of December, Distel Atberian’s ministry was the first to appoint a female Director General. She will join 23 male directors general already appointed to lead ministries in the Netanyahu government. A further seven directors general have yet to be appointed, and more are expected to be named in the coming weeks. Two appointments of male DGs were not approved, but men are serving in interim positions.
Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer has reportedly indicated he will tap Jordana Cutler, Facebook’s public policy director for Israel, to run his ministry, although no appointment has been officially made to the cabinet. Science and Technology Minister Ofer Akunis intended to appoint former Likud MK Osnat Mark as director of his ministry, but withdrew his candidacy after he was criticized for his lack of relevant experience.
Of the current 32 ministers in the government (some ministries have multiple ministers, and some ministers have more than one portfolio), six are women: Distel, Transport Minister Miri Regev, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman, Intelligence Minister Gila Gamlil, National Mission Minister Orit Strock, and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office in the Golan.
Netanyahu’s cabinet is the second largest in Israel’s history, behind the 2020 unity government led by Netanyahu, which contained 34 ministers. The entire Knesset consists of 120 legislators, although under so-called Norwegian law, ministers may resign their Knesset seats to make room for the new MK.
Likud MK Galit Distel Atberian Ata conference on December 8, 2022 in Tel Aviv. (Tomer Newberg/Flash90)
Last week, the Israel Women’s Network sent a letter to Netanyahu demanding that the under-representation of female ministry directors be corrected.
“Such a low representation of women among directors of government ministries is a gross violation of the mandate for fair representation,” the organization wrote in the letter.
The previous government had nine women in the cabinet of 27. There were also nine directors general of the ministry who were women during the most recent coalition – the highest level ever.
The two ultra-Orthodox parties in the coalition, Shas and United Torah Judaism, have no women on their electoral slate, while the far-right religious Otzma Yehudit has only one. Of the 64 MKs included in the alliance at the time of swearing-in, only nine There were women.
Amy Spiro contributed to this report.
