The departure of Foreign Minister Eli Cohen is symptomatic of a neglect that the ministry has faced for decades.
At the meeting, the Health Ministry officials presented serious information and evidence about the mental and health condition of the abductees who returned to Israel from Hamas captivity.
The Foreign Ministry has directed all Israeli embassies and consulates to light their buildings in orange or display images of the Bibas family.
The ministry has already shut down its hasbara efforts in Persian and Russian for the same reason.
“From a diplomatic point of view, we recognize that pressure has begun to bear on Israel. The pressure is not very high [now], but it is increasing,” Cohen said.
Out of 32 current ministries, 25 could be said to be standard ministries that are essential to running the country as a Jewish and democratic nation.
The original post also said "the Israelis are determined to prevent" such developments. To that, Zarka responded: "We are."