Former attorney general Avichai Mandelblit rails against a reported coalition plan to soon advance a divisive bill to severely limit the power of ministry legal counsels — a central part of the plan to overhaul the justice system — when the Knesset reconvenes for its summer session.
Speaking with Channel 12 news, Mandelblit says the bill, reported on yesterday by the network, would “crush the first line of defense for Israel democracy.”
According to the report, the coalition intends to put forth the most extreme version of that legislation, which would transform legal advisers and their positions from professional authorities to discretionary positions. The bill would enable ministers to appoint — and fire — their own legal advisers, and also to make legal counsels’ positions non-binding on ministers and the cabinet.
“The duty of the public service legal advisers is first and foremost before the State of Israel, and not personally to the minister,” Mandelblit says, arguing that the bill would erode the advisers’ ability to act as a gatekeeper and prevent illegal acts from being committed.
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From the Liveblog of
Monday, April 17, 2023
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