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National Ombudsday
On 25 June 2024, the Knesset (Israeli parliament) hosted a special event to mark "National Ombudsday", on the theme: "The investigation of complaints in a state of emergency".
National Ombudsday, which was inaugurated by the Knesset in 2020, aims to heighten public awareness of the activity of the Office of the Ombudsman - the national ombudsman - and the work of sectoral ombudsmen and commissioners for public inquiries in the public bodies.
National Ombudsday is also the day on which the Ombudsman's annual report is presented to the Speaker of the Knesset. This year the Office published its 50th annual report, for the year 2023.
The event at the Knesset was opened by the welcoming addresses of the Israeli State Comptroller and Ombudsman Mr. Matanyahu Englman, the Speaker of the Knesset, the Chairman of the State Audit Affairs Committee of the Knesset and the Chairman of the Special Committee of the Knesset for Public Complaints.
In the words of Ombudsman Englman:
"In the modern welfare state, the public administration is involved in many aspects of the individual's life. The heavy dependence of the individual on the public bodies and the difficulty in finding one's way in the bureaucratic labyrinth is likely to prevent the individual from exercising all the rights to which they are entitled. The important role [of ombudsmen] becomes even more significant in wartime when the need to ensure the take-up of rights of those adversely affected by it is infinitely important".
Dr. Esther Ben-Haim, Head of the Office of the Ombudsman, presented the highlights of the annual report and the main data presented in it. She then launched, together with the audience, the new BI (Business Intelligence) system initiated by the Office to increase its transparency both within the organization and among the public at large. Dr. Esther Ben-Haim also took the opportunity to deliver an official farewell address to the many guests present in anticipation of her terminating office in December 2024, reviewing the multifarious activities and achievements of the Office of the Ombudsman since she came into office in 2017.
The Deputy-Head of the Office of the Ombudsman Adv. Ido Don-Yehiya gave a short lecture on the "Ombudsman Enlists" project - an initiative of the Office aimed at raising the awareness of IDF soldiers as to the existence of the Office and the possibilities of receiving its assistance (in matters not relating to conditions of service).
The event was concluded by a special panel, moderated by the Vice-Head of the Office of the Ombudsman Adv. Ronit Zandberg, which addressed the many challenges posed by the emergency situation in Israel since the brutal events of 7 October 2023.
An English version of the highlights of Annual Report 50 will be published in this newsletter in the coming weeks.
Source: The Office of the State Comptroller and Ombudsman, Israel
