A governmental vetting committee on Thursday nixed Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu’s nominee to lead the Israel Antiquities Authority.

Hebrew media reported the committee, led by retired judge Shulamit Dotan, blocked Esther Schreiber because the tender that led to Schreiber’s selection in May featured lower criteria than demanded by law.

Haaretz cited sources who had seen the decision as saying Schreiber failed to satisfy the legal requirements to be IAA director, which, under Israel’s 1975 Government Companies Law, include five years of senior managerial experience.

The newspaper and other outlets previously reported that Schreiber had significantly embellished her resume, including by exaggerating the size of a religious advocacy organization she managed.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, head of Eliyahu’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, claimed the “deep state” had blocked Schreiber because she is visibly observant.

“The official reason — legal. The real reason — a religious CEO with a head covering doesn’t sit right with the deep state,” Ben Gvir wrote on X.

The........

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