Israel lacks national foreign policy strategy, comptroller warns
Englman also criticizes Finance Ministry for trying to close seven diplomatic missions without doing research on how it will influence Israel's foreign relations
By LAHAV HARKOVU.S. President Trump and Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu at the unveiling of Trump's "Deal of the Century," January 28, 2020(photo credit: KOBI GIDEON/GPO)
The government has not set national strategic goals for Israel in the international arena, the State Comptroller's Office warned in a new report released on Monday.The report warned of redundancies and confusion, with 35 different government bodies dealing in foreign relations and no one coordinating them, and of a Foreign Ministry budget so low that it cannot cover the ministry’s basic needs.The State Comptroller's Office looked into Israel's activities in the international arena in February-September of 2019, and the way the ministry's budget was determined for that year.The Comptroller's central criticism was that there is no single, centralized body coordinating foreign policy. Instead, government offices ranging from the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Office to the Water Authority, the IDF and the Science and Technology Ministry are engaged in foreign relations.One office coordinating foreign policy “is necessary in light of rapid changes and developments in mapping global interests, and the need to create a broader general picture while using all the existing knowledge in the international arena," the report states.The Foreign Ministry has a broad range of expertise in areas that overlap with other ministries. This has led to situations in which more than one Israeli representative, from different ministries, have been in contact with foreign countries and international organizations about the same matter without coordination, the report states.The State Comptroller's Office notes that Israel had diplomatic ties with 161 countries and 103 diplomatic missions abroad in 2019, and that 4,500 Israelis at home and abroad work for the government’s foreign relations.The Foreign Ministry's budget took a 14.7% hit between 2018 and 2019, even though the state budget went up 4.3%. This was the largest cut to any ministry except the Interior Ministry, which conducted municipal elections in 2018.The significant cut to the Foreign Ministry's budget, lowering it to NIS 1.385 billion meant that many of its core activities could not take place, because its basic functions cost NIS 1.53 b. annually. The report warns that this could have a negative influence on Israel's relations with the world and services for Israelis abroad.The Comptroller also criticizes the Finance Ministry for trying to close seven diplomatic missions without doing research on how it will influence Israel's foreign relations. AT THE same time, the report praises the opportunities Israel has created to improve its image and standing in the world through the many government bodies that are active abroad."The Foreign Ministry takes initiative to promote Israel's interests abroad, including a global forum, in cooperation with other government ministries, to deal with climate change," the report reads.The Comptroller's recommendations include setting national strategic goals for foreign relations and making clear what each ministry's responsibilities are in this area.In addition, one government body should be responsible for coordinating the various ministries doing work abroad.The report also called for there to be a dialog between the Foreign Ministry and Finance Ministry about the former's budget, so that the latter brings diplomatic and policy considerations into its decision-making process.The Comptroller's Office also recommended that UN payments be a permanent budget item that won't be affected by changes in the Foreign Ministry's budget.The ministry expressed satisfaction with the report, because they said it supports the view that it should be responsible for Israel’s international affairs and needs an increased budget.“The report shows clearly that the most professional body with the broadest view of the most foreign policy topics is the Foreign Ministry,” a statement from the ministry read. “This is also the way many countries around the world work. The Foreign Ministry has unique abilities in the Israeli system, general knowledge, and is spread around the world.”The Foreign Ministry pointed to the parts of the report that said the Finance Ministry cut its budget, saying “the decision to close Israeli missions abroad was not based on professional considerations and the budget was prepared without coordination with the Foreign Ministry, who saw it only three days before it was approved by the government.“The unequivocal conclusion drawn [from the report] emphasizes the need to increase the Foreign Ministry’s budget and to have an organized process of deciding the budget,” the ministry added.Foreign Minister Israel Katz said that “the recent months in which Israel and the whole world is dealing with the coronavirus crisis proved once again the Foreign Ministry’s importance to Israel’s national strength and its centrality in the government’s activities in the world, regarding both returning Israeli citizens in a time of crisis and bringing necessary equipment to deal with the pandemic.”Senior officials in the Foreign Ministry expressed hope that its role in the government’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis will help make its case before the soon-to-be-formed government passes a budget in the coming months.“The coronavirus crisis showed how important foreign relations are and how important it is to have feet on the ground. The Foreign Ministry has to be spread around the world: That makes the difference between success and failure,” an official said.One official admitted that the ministry has to do a better job presenting the importance of its work to the public and to the rest of the government, pointing out that the Health Ministry and Education Ministry are more directly involved in people’s lives.“The image of the world of diplomacy is very different from the reality,” he said. “This isn’t something concrete like paying for hospital beds or M-16s – but it’s important to Israel’s economy, security, strength and well-being.”
