Foreign Ministry workers 'confused' in wake of ministerial distributions

The breakdown of Foreign Ministry issues has left employees questioning what still falls under the authority of the Foreign Ministry.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Norway's FM Borge Brende (right) with Deputy FM Hotovely (photo credit: NOAM SELA)
Norway's FM Borge Brende (right) with Deputy FM Hotovely
(photo credit: NOAM SELA)
The formation of the coalition and the division of the various ministries have left the workers of the Foreign Ministry "confused," Israel Radio reported Tuesday morning.
In the wake of the negotiation process, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu elected to keep the title of foreign minister for himself in the hopes of expanding his 61-seat coalition. Tzipi Hotovely was sworn in last week as the deputy foreign minister as Netanyahu faced backlash for appointing someone considered to be more "hawkish" rather than a more moderate MK.
Minister Yuval Steinitz was appointed as minister of national infrastructures but was also given the reigns for all issues regarding Iran and the Iranian nuclear talks, an issue that otherwise would have naturally fallen under the scope of the Foreign Ministry.
Silvan Shalom, the interior minister, has also been given the task of liaison for US-Israel relations as well as the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, yet another Foreign Ministry task. 
Gilad Erdan, who joined Netanyahu's government on Monday after a dramatic negotiation process, was put in charge of all issues regarding Israeli public diplomacy, one of the central missions of the Foreign Ministry.
The breakdown of Foreign Ministry issues has left employees questioning what still falls under the authority of the Foreign Ministry.