The Duties of the Government Secretary

The Secretary is appointed by the Government, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s recommendation.

As head of the Government Secretariat, the Government Secretary is responsible for its work and is involved in all its fields of responsibility:
• The Government Secretary is responsible for setting the agenda for the Government meetings and the Ministerial Committees. To that end, the Secretary has a staff which assists him in this complicated task. Additionally, the Government Secretary maintains constant contact with all members of Government, and in this framework resolutions proposed for the Government and the Ministerial Committees are coordinated.
• The Government Secretary acts as the Government Spokesperson, and is thereby responsible for briefing media representatives at the end of the weekly Government meeting. The Government Secretary’s briefings to the press can be read on the page “Government Secretary Announcements to the Press”.
• The Government Secretary bears responsibility for liaising between the Government and the Knesset, and fills this position in coordination with the Minister Responsible for the Liaison Between the Government and the Knesset.
• The Government Secretary briefs the President of the State on the activities of the Government on a weekly basis.
• The Government Secretary follows-up on the implementation of Government Resolutions.
• The Government Secretary carries out other tasks designated to him by the Prime Minister.

The Current Secretary – Mr. Oved Yehezkehel

Mr. Yehezkehel has been a civil servant since 1989.

From 2006 to 2007, Mr. Yehezkehel served as Deputy Chief of Staff, Head of the Prime Minister's team of Advisers and Assistants, and as personal Adviser to the Prime Minister. He was responsible for, inter alia, coordinating contact with professional systems within, and out, of the Government; liaison to the Knesset, the Jewish Agency, and the World Zionist Organization; coordinating crisis situations and negotiations especially in the social, welfare, and interior spheres, and has performed a wide range of assignments on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Between 2003 and 2006, Mr.Yehezkehel served as Senior Adviser to the Vice Prime Minister, Mr. Ehud Olmert. During that period, Mr. Olmert served as the Minister of Industry, Trade & Labor, responsible for the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, Chairman of the Board of the Israeli Lands Council, and for a brief period as Minister of Communications, Minister of Finance, and Acting Prime Minister.

As personal adviser to the Minister, Mr. Yehezkehel liaised between the Minister and the various bodies with which he was charged, always being involved in policy-making, resolving disputes, advancing reforms, taking steps to increase efficiency, and dealing with ongoing difficulties.

During this period, Mr. Yehezkehel also served as a member of the reform committee for the Israel Lands Authority, and a member of the directorate of the Export Institute.

Between the years 1989 and 2003, Mr. Yehezkehel served in the Jerusalem Municipality – first as an adviser to the Deputy Mayor, and from 1993, as Adviser to the Mayor. During a decade of working alongside the mayor, Mr. Yehezkehel operated at all levels of municipal activity. Inter alia, he was responsible for liaising between the Mayor's Bureau and all municipal systems and city corporations; he was appointed by the Mayor to liaise with community administrations and youth centers; he was charged with all communication with the ultra-orthodox sectors in the city, while dealing with many crises in trying to maintain equilibrium between the various sectors that comprise the city; and has served on a long list of municipal administrations and corporations.

Mr. Yehezkehel served on diverse public bodies in the Jerusalem Municipality, i.e.: member of the administration of the Student Union of the Hebrew University; member of the directorate of Academon (publishing house – Hebrew University); member of the directorate of Galshan (human resources company – Hebrew University); member of the directorate of the East Jerusalem Development Company; member of the auditing committee of the "Gichon" corporation (water company in Jerusalem); member of the directorate of the "Gichon"; member of the directorate of the "Moria" company; member of the directorate of the National Youth Centers Company; member of the Committee for the Commemoration of Jerusalem; and member of the directorate of the East Jerusalem Electric Company.

In 1984, Mr. Yehezkehel was recruited to the Military Intelligence Corps and served in professional positions, as well as training managerial and command staff, and instructing officers. Until recently, Mr. Yehezkehel continued to serve in his unit, as a Lieutenant-Colonel (Res.), as commander of a training course for officers and instructors. For his role in the reserves, he was meritoriously awarded by his unit commander in 2002.

Mr. Yehezkehel has a BA in International Relations and Middle East Studies from the Hebrew University at Mount Scopus, and is a graduate of the School for Quality Leadership.

Mr. Yehezkehel was appointed Government Secretary on July 22, 2007.

Oved Yehezkehel lives in Ramle with his wife and four children.