The Public Servant Allegiance Dilemma

Many government employees are familiar with that dreaded moment when their personal beliefs are compromised by policy directives imposed by their superiors. What should they do when their red lines are violated?

All too often the challenged employee will subjugate those red lines, accept the role of a mere policy implementer, and hope to influence down the road – an outcome far from guaranteed. Remaining on the job can torment the soul, but at least it blocks the appointment of an unsuitable replacement.

This dilemma was one of many tackled during last week’s annual conference held by the Taub Center for Social Policy Studies in Israel, dedicated this year to the subject: “Who Will Serve the Public? The Future of Israel’s Public Service.” A burning issue in Israel – and beyond.

Emi Palmor, who spent 24 years in the civil service and placed an emphasis on social issues during almost six years as Justice Ministry director general, set the table for the conference. In her keynote remarks, she flagged the appointment of a capable new head of the Civil Service Commission, a position that has been filled by temporary appointees for the past year, as the most important senior government job that needs to be dealt with.

According to Palmor, the reality on the ground has become so severe that the issue warrants mass street protests – no less. The basis for her call was made clear throughout the conference: the growing lack of skilled professionals in vital positions, a sharp decline in the percentage of young people (under 35) joining the public sector, and a steady wave of veteran departures – from experienced women, frustrated by what they consider an unbreakable gender glass ceiling, to experts from Israel’s Arab community.

The torch that Palmor lit was carried onward by Ehud Prawer, who, during a session on “Trust and Tension between Civil Servants and Elected Officials,” fully backed her call for demonstrations. A legend in the world of Israeli public service – with a resume including 12 years in the Prime Minister’s Office and a year as acting civil service commissioner – he further enriched the discourse with his own insights.

Prawer underlined the growing challenges faced especially by public sector veterans, whose careers developed in a climate of liberalism, inclusivity and concern for underserved communities. In comparison, they are now forced to deal with their current superiors’ penchant for sectorialism – particularly to expand the electoral base of supporters – and their preference for personal loyalty over pure professionalism. This change, he said, has pushed these dedicated employees to the limit of their ability to function.

Itzik Shmuli, former Social Services Minister, also drew on his experience to characterize the current reality. In his view, the phenomenon of elected officials ignoring the fact that civil servants’ allegiance is first and foremost to Israeli society and the country – not to political bosses – now constitutes the greatest danger to the public sector’s future.

Since launching this blog in March 2024, I’ve devoted most of my posts to the efforts by my now-former public sector counterparts – on October 1, I began to implement my early retirement decision – to make Israel a better place, despite the increasingly frequent tarnishing of their reputations. Thanks to the activities of the Israel Foreign Ministry’s Social Impact Policy Unit that I established and directed for seven years, I was privileged to see their work up close on a regular basis.

When referencing the embattled public sector, Israel’s Attorney General immediately comes to mind. While symbolic of current trends, that does a disservice to the hundreds of thousands of others – Israel’s civil service numbers about 800,000 Jewish and Arab employees from all walks of life – working tirelessly for society’s good.

Most of them are not household names. But they are indispensable to our efforts promoting equality, fighting racism, pursuing the rights of people with disabilities, advancing environmental protection and other worthy goals.

These heroes deserve to be supported, not berated.