Photo Credit: Yossi Zamir, Shatil Stock

Last week, the Israeli High Court issued a historic ruling that pushed the Israeli state to appoint more women to positions of power. In response to a 2023 petition, they ruled that the state must uphold the already-existing Israeli law, under which the state is obligated to “work actively to promote equal representation among state employees,” which applies “at all levels and professions.” They also ruled that the state needs new and improved guidelines to this end, and that it must pay a NIS 10,000 fine to the petitioners. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has been trying to evade an Israeli law that requires the government to appoint women as directors general of government ministries since this government came to power. As of July 2024, just two women have served as directors general for a government office—out of a total of 29 directors general.

Justice Noam Sohlberg wrote that “In opposition to the legislature’s intent, women are hardly represented in the senior management levels of public service. As such, [they] are not partners, practically speaking, in a great deal of decisions made in the country.”

The petition was filed by the women’s organizations Forum Dvorah, the Israel Women’s Network, and Na’amat. 

We are so proud of this work; we know that having more women in positions of power serves everyone.  We stand with these women and with all those who believe in the value of equal representation.