Sa'ar's election maneuver, appointing 12 ambassadors: "Smells bad"

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has decided to bring 12 ambassadorial appointments abroad to the approval of the appointments committee, in the midst of an election campaign. Most appointments will only begin their term in the summer of 2027. Senior Foreign Ministry officials question the timing and warn of a "pre-election maneuver." The Foreign Ministry stated that the process is proper and proceeds as usual in all election campaigns.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has decided to bring 12 ambassadorial appointments abroad to the approval of the Foreign Ministry's appointments committee, in the midst of an election campaign. Most appointments will only begin their term in the summer of 2027, and one of them (Switzerland) is scheduled for January 2028. These are professional appointments of diplomats, not political appointments prohibited during an election period. The appointments include ambassadors to India, Jordan, Canada, Austria, Bulgaria, Denmark, Switzerland, Paraguay, Rwanda, Ghana, and Belarus, as well as a consul general in Munich. The appointments committee is expected to convene to approve the appointments as early as tomorrow. Senior Foreign Ministry officials question the timing: "What is the rush for Minister Sa'ar to hold the committee right now? It smells like a pre-election maneuver." According to them, Sa'ar is determined to leave his mark before the end of his term. The Foreign Ministry responded that the process proceeds as usual during this time of year, and that a delay in appointing heads of missions causes a delay in appointing other officials. It was further stated that this is a relatively limited list compared to previous years, and that the procedures continued as usual in all previous election campaigns.