Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit criticized a letter to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday urging him to allow a permanent justice minister to be appointed, amid allegations by Defense Minister Benny Gantz that the prime minister suspend a cabinet vote on the issue.
“A situation where the Ministry of Justice is left without a permanent minister will seriously damage the work of the ministry and the activity of the government,” Mandelblit wrote to Netanyahu.
Gantz has been interim justice minister since Avi Nisseenkorn resigned earlier this year, but Blue and White’s chairman’s term ends at the beginning of April. He has asked to be given a permanent position.
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Under the coalition agreement between Netanyahu and Gantz – which will be in effect until a new government is sworn in after the election – the Ministry of Justice is under the wing of the Gantz bloc of the government. He can choose who he wants to be in charge of the suitcase, and Netanyahu has no say in the matter. However, Netanyahu may block a cabinet vote on such a post, which he seems to have been doing for months now.
Mandelblit noted in his letter that there are a number of other government offices headed by interim ministers since the coalition broke down late last year. These include the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Water and Higher Education, the Ministry of Social Equality, the Ministry of Welfare and the Ministry of Science and Technology. All of these offices were occupied by ministers from the Blue and White-led bloc, who were embroiled in a flood of office after elections were called.
Minister of Defense Benny Gantz will speak at the Jerusalem Annual Conference of the group ‘Besheva’ in Jerusalem, on 14 March 2021. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
“As I have already made clear, a situation where the State of Israel has been left without ministers, including a permanent justice minister, for an unknown period of time, is a very strange and difficult situation, “wrote Mandelblit.
The lawyer noted that the powers of an interim justice minister are much more limited than those of a permanent justice minister.
Gantz called on Netanyahu to allow his tenure as full-time justice minister to come to a vote at Monday’s cabinet meeting.
“I will do everything in my power to prevent Netanyahu… from harming Israeli citizens,” Ganz said in a statement Friday.
Netanyahu and Gantz have been fighting over control of the power-sharing government since its inception in May last year, but their struggles have become even clearer since their agreement collapsed in December. lead to this week’s election.
On Thursday the Supreme Court of Justice ruled that Netanyahu must adhere to conflict of interest rules issued by Mandelblit and cannot intervene in the appointment of senior law enforcement officers and justice.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Minister of Public Security Amir Ohana in Tel Aviv, on 01 December 2020 (Miriam Alster / FLASH90)
Netanyahu has previously said he is not tied to the idea devised by Mandelblit, who shaves his wings about appointing officers as a result of his lawsuit.
However, the court rejected the petitioner’s argument, the motion for a quality government body, that the restrictions should be imposed on Netanyahu’s representative, Amir Ohana’s Minister of Public Security, noting that it was a personal settlement. to make for a specific agreement a conflict of interest. man – in this case, the prime minister.
The court said the minister, and others involved in the decisions, should stop contacting the prime minister on the matter.
Under the Mandelblit settlement, Netanyahu cannot engage in any proceedings that affect witnesses or other defendants in his trial, or in legislation that would affect the legal proceedings. the face.
It is unable to intervene in matters relating to the status of a number of chief police officers and prosecutors, in a number of areas under the responsibility of the Ministry of Communications, or in the Judicial Appointments Committee, which announces judges to the Jerusalem District Court (among other courts) – where his trial is pending – and to the High Court, which would hear any appeals in the case.
The petition to the court had revolved around the appointment of Amit Aisman as a state prosecutor by then-justice minister Avi Nissenkorn, who was opposed by Ohana, who worked as a supporter for Netanyahu and declined the post. give up for a vote.
Then-Minister of Justice Avi Nissenkorn seen at the Knesset, 21 October 2020. (Yonatan Sindel / Flash90)
Mandelblit argued that the consent of the protagonist, who has been fighting with the attorney general for years and demanding the right to be involved in the appointment of the attorney general’s agent and other chief legal officers.
In a letter to the court last year, Mandelblit said the legal framework for the settlement was not a recommendation or reliant on “the goodwill of Netanyahu.” He asked the court to intervene if the prime minister refused to abide by the agreement.
Netanyahu’s lawyers have argued that the attorney general has no authority to enforce a conflict of interest settlement without the consent of the prime minister.
Netanyahu in August rejected an earlier version of the conflict of interest framework proposed by Mandelblit, saying the lawyer himself was in a conflict of interest, as he was the one who made the decision late last year. to condemn the Prime Minister.
Netanyahu is facing charges of fraud and breach of trust in three cases, as well as bribery in one of them. He has denied making a charge and says it is an attempt by political rivals, the media, law enforcement, and the dismissal of prosecutors.
The evidence stage of the case is expected to begin on April 5, after it was adjourned until after the elections.
