Their behavior shows that not only do they not deserve the requested raise, they do not deserve employment at all. The staff that is sent abroad has higher expenses and as such get better pay. They are on duty everywhere they go, and as such earn that extra pay. But ditching diplomats because you are upset with your pay - not professional at all. In the current job market this is unforgivable. They should be fired for cause, loose their Pitsuchem, and not be entitled to unemployment because it is for cause.

the people who abandoned foreign diplomats should be fired for deliberately creating diplomatic screw-ups in order to advance personal agendas.

The Foreign Ministry employees may have a genuine grievance, i don't know. What I do know is that in the present circumstances the behaviour as reported is completely unacceptable. Are these people complete tossers?

This is funny. Why does the Israeli government pay such low wages when they tax the hell out of there citizens? I will never understand Israeli economics where every thing is almost twice the price as in most western countries yet the wages are a fraction. Can anyone explain that.

Israel's Foreign Ministry "professionals" are the worst in the developed world - lazy, incompetant, disloyal to the elected government. They shouldn't get paid the same as Defense, Intelligence ministries (as they demand) because they are inept and don't deliver RESULTS! Now is the time to bypass their public relations and operations functions with a separate Institute for Foreign Relations or the like, even unpaid volunteers would do a better job. Israel survives because of its defense and intelligence professionls, but survives IN SPITE OF its Foreign Ministry boobs. Just give them newspapers to read, and give the important work to others. Can't blame Lieberman, he has little operational control, can't hire and fire, the way Foreign Ministry is set up - this is the problem, the lazy, left-wing careerists manage themselves, and are wrecking the country. No other country tolerates this crap.

Never a dull moment in Israel. And we thought the Arabs ran the circus shows.

If you see how lousy the work of their bosses is (from Lieberman and Ayalon onwards), and how much those bosses get paid for their work, you can't blame the lower-level FM workers for protesting and for demanding higher wages.

Shame on them !! they represent the state of Israel, it s just disgusting; give me the job, i ll do it better and wont ask for a raise

I don't understand how they get away just like that. If they want higher wages they should strike, but this an embarrasment to the MFA. Just fire them, there are plenty op people who want to work for the MFA. I know I would like to, speak 5 languages fluently, lived half of myn life all over the world etc, I'm going to send my cv right now ;)

In August of 1981, some 13,000 air traffic controllers went on strike, defying a law barring government unions from striking. Those who refused to return to work following warning were fired. Reagan made clear he would tolerate no strikes by federal employees, and there have been no strikes since. As a former federal employee myself (non-union), we really have it good. Guaranteed jobs, fine benefits and pensions. It's not much different in Israel. These FM employees are among the privileged, yet they want more, even at the cost of embarrassing the country they represent. They *should* be fired.

Just fire them all. They might have a grievance but this isn't the way to act. Just like Reagan firing the Air traffic controllers these people should be fired for cause

In the US, they would be terminated immediately.

Israel has a real problem with the Foreign Ministry- from the top down. Every time Liebermann opens his mouth it is an insult or indiscretion- with a leader like this- how can one expect the employees to have more integrity. Sack them all- they wont be missed- they are not doing their jobs anyway.