Dozens of lawyers post letter supporting Attorney General Mandelblit

Dozens of private Israeli lawyers circulate a letter supporting Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit amid a public row with Acting State Attorney Dan Eldad this week.

“We, lawyers from the private sector, express our unreserved support and full confidence in the Attorney General Dr. Avichai Mandelblit,” reads the letter. “The Attorney General’s Office is one of the most important offices in Israeli democracy. It must be protected and its independence guarded.”

Mandelblit and Eldad engaged in an astonishing war of words Thursday, with Mandelblit saying Eldad had exhibited “moral, professional and administrative failings” during his short time in office, and the latter claiming he was under attack for investigating “worrying” information about his boss.

Mandelblit’s comments were made in a letter to Civil Service Commissioner Daniel Hershkowitz in which he expressed vehement opposition to extending Eldad’s tenure, explaining he found him unfit for the office and citing legal impediments.

Eldad was appointed to the position for a temporary three-month period in February by interim Justice Minister Amir Ohana, after former state attorney Shai Nitzan concluded his five-year term in December and after Ohana’s previous candidate was rejected by Mandelblit.