Yair Pines, the director of the Prime Minister's Office under outgoing Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, announced his resignation Tuesday following the announcement of the dissolution of the coalition and the transfer of power to Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid.
Bennett will be allowed to appoint a staff similar to that of the Prime Minister's Office after he becomes the Alternate Prime Minister, but it is currently unknown if he intends to take advantage of the option. Bennett will still be in charge of the Iran issue and will serve as Settlements and Religious Affairs Minister.
Pines previously served as director of the Housing and Construction Ministry. He began his career in the budget department of the Finance Ministry, where he served, among other things, as deputy budget director.
Pines holds a bachelor's degree in economics and accounting, and a master's degree in law, both from Bar Ilan University. In 2019 he went on a mission to Harvard University in the United States, where he served as a research fellow at the Canadian School of Public Policy at the Center for Government and Business.