Israel will soon have an “ombudsman,” a kind of representative of the citizen in disputes with government agencies, an office which exists in a number of Scandinavian countries.
Ministers who are members of the Mapai-Achdut Avodah alignment, the dominant faction in Prime Minister Levi Eshkol’s coalition Government, approved establishment of this office last night. All citizens would be entitled to appeal directly to the ombudsman to protest Government decisions or to draw attention to alleged irregularities in Government activities.
The proposal requires approval by the entire Cabinet and by Parliament before becoming effective but it was learned that the Premier has already decided to offer the new post to Walter Eytan, Israel’s ambassador to France and that he has been in touch with the envoy on the proposal.
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