Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly reached out to several US academics to succeed Bank of Israel governor Amir Yaron.
Yaron, whose five-year term ends in December, also urged the prime minister to seek a broad public consensus on the government’s plan to overhaul Israel’s judiciary, to preserve the country’s strong economy.The central bank declined to comment when asked whether Netanyahu had asked Yaron to stay for a second term. Netanyahu’s office also did not comment.
The issue of whether Yaron will seek, or be reappointed for a second term, has loomed over financial markets for months. Yaron said the last five years have been “one of the most challenging” for any Israeli central banker, citing five election cycles, the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine-Russia war, inflation, and the government’s plan to overhaul the judiciary that has sparked mass protests and polarised the Israeli public.