AG drops opposition to justice minister’s pick for acting state attorney

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announces he will not oppose Justice Minister Amir Ohana’s selection for acting state attorney.

The decision to back the candidacy of Dan Eldad, director of the Economic Crimes Division of the State Prosecution, marks a reversal for Mandelblit, who had opposed the appointment for unclear reasons.

“I decided — not without hesitation — not to stand behind my opposition to the appointment,” the attorney general reportedly says in a letter to the State Attorney’s Office.

The state attorney position became vacant when Shai Nitzan concluded his five-year term in December.

Ohana’s last attempt to appoint an acting state attorney — choosing Tel Aviv District economic crimes prosecutor Orly Ginsberg Ben-Ari in December — fell through when Ginsberg Ben-Ari withdrew her candidacy following a firestorm of criticism at her selection, including by the attorney general.

Mandelblit has insisted Ohana’s authority to appoint key officials is limited because he serves as a caretaker justice minister in an unelected government. Ohana was appointed to his post by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in June, after the indecisive April election and ahead of the equally indecisive September race.