Amitai Keren was among the tens of thousands of IDF reservists called to duty during Operation Protective Edge. Keren, a student and part time employee at the Foreign Ministry was told upon his return that his job is gone. After 32 days at the front line he was told by the national government ministry that they are unable to hold his part time position while he was serving his country.

Amitai explains they schlepped him from office to office for interviews as if he was going to get another position but he was ultimately told there is no work for him. He was escorted out of the ministry by a security officer.

Amitai contacted the head of the National Student Union, Michal Zilberberg, who contacted Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman with a request to give Amitai his job back, explaining he was not vacationing but serving his country.

Yediot Achronot got involved and this led to an “emergency meeting” of the relevant officials, deciding to find him a position in the Consulate Division that meets with his approval.

Minister spokesman Emanuel Nachshon explains “The entire matter was a misunderstanding and we turned to him to offer him a reasonable position prior to the involvement of the media”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)