"Tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon; lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice" (II Samuel 1:20).
The botched nominations of two would-be Bank of Israel governors is like that biblical episode, when Israel's failings the death of its king in battle generated widespread embarrassment. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid have flunked this task.
Their fault lies in how they tapped Professor Jacob Frenkel and then Professor Leo Leiderman to head the Bank of Israel. Professor Stanley Fischer provided the government with a big heads-up when he announced his departure several months ago. But in Israel, it turns out, the government suffers from the "trust me, you have nothing to worry about" syndrome. It defers everything to the very last minute.
Ironically, alongside this nomination fiasco, another scandal finally reached its intended destination: the investigation into the Harpaz affair has morphed into a full-fledged criminal investigation against former IDF Chief of General Staff Gabi Ashkenazi and his associates. In 2010, Defense Minister Ehud Barak took it upon himself to mend his ways: He resolved that unlike his past decisions, when the time comes to appoint the next chief of general staff, he would not put off a decision. He interviewed prospective chiefs of general staff six months before Ashkenazi was to leave his post. The latter was furious and soon thereafter, the leading contender, Maj. Gen. Yoav Galant, was deliberately besmirched using what turned out to be a fabricated document that was traced back to Ashkenazi's bureau.
Although Galant ultimately emerged unscathed by the document, his appointment was derailed very late in the game because his detractors were allowed to torpedo his ascent to the top job (over his alleged misuse of state property near his private residence). Nevertheless, back then, the government used its time wisely and settled on a candidate without delay. The decision did not materialize only because Ashkenazi's bureau had its way. The government's conduct over Frenkel's and Leiderman's nominations was a far cry from the thought-out process leading to Galant's appointment. Time just melted on the government's fingers as if it was holding butter. This is what made all the difference.
Frenkel's short-lived bid to become third-time governor will be scrutinized in many university-level courses.
No, not in economics, rather in political science, law and public policy. The same with Leiderman. Could he have simply forgotten that he had a skeleton in his closet? Did he make a mountain out of a molehill? Maybe things are not as bad as he thinks? Should he have told Netanyahu and Lapid that he did not want the job or felt he was not cut out for it?
What is clear is that because Netanyahu and Lapid ran out of time before they settled on those two candidates, the screening process was improper and faulty. Ultimately, haste made waste.
Frenkel went by the wayside; Leiderman soon followed. Who's next? According to a famous rabbinical tale, when Moses was a toddler, members of Pharaoh's inner circle wanted to see whether he was as smart as they thought he was and whether he could pose a threat to the king. They placed two bowls in front of him, one with gold and one with embers. If he chose the gold they would kill him. Just as he was about to reach for the gold, God intervened, and he ultimately picked up the hot embers and put them in his mouth. This resulted in his stammer.
Maybe a hidden hand was what ground the nomination of the two would-be governors to a halt. Perhaps Frenkel and Leiderman's demise righted a wrong; it compensated for the unexplained decision to sideline acting governor Dr. Karnit Flug, who was denied the post even though Fischer had thrown his weight behind his former deputy. Netanyahu and Lapid should waste no time in offering her the prized job.
Such a late appointment should not be viewed as an insult. Chief of General Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz was not Barak's first choice, but he got to that position because he was the default candidate. He ultimately developed a good rapport with his superior and his successor, current Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon. Flug may follow that path.
טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו