The standing of Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has waned over the years; many of its responsibilities have been taken away from it, and its budget has been significantly reduced. Now, however, things seem to be changing with MFA's new boss – Gabi Ashkenazi – vowing to restore the prestige the institution enjoyed in the past.
It's been two months since Gabi Ashkenazi, Israel's former chief of staff, took office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, trading his army uniform for a suit and promising to restore the institution's past glory; the organisation at one point established diplomatic ties with many countries and played a pivotal role in the signing of the peace treaties with Israel's neighbours.
Dana Benvenisti, the chairwoman for the MFA employees' committee and a person who has been working for the ministry for the past 20 years, says that the change has already been felt on the ground.
That, however, was a long list to tackle.
Sinking Ship?
To start off, the ministry's budget, which stood at some half a billion dollars in 2018, has been cut by 15 percent, a move that resulted in the closing down of seven Israeli missions around the world.
Depleted resources have also damaged Israel's ability to promote its interests and hampered its diplomats' efforts to explain the country's stance on topics paramount for the Jewish state, such as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's sovereignty bill,…
