Shaked leaves Justice Ministry amid praise for her ‘honesty,’ promises to return

Now-ex justice minister Ayelet Shaked bids farewell to the Justice Ministry after four years on the job, as her firing by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes into effect today.

In a ceremony in Jerusalem, many of the ministry’s top officials talks openly about Shaked’s vociferous criticism of the judicial and legal systems — but also of their respect for her after four years of working together.

Shaked says she “loved the work in the ministry” and had hoped “to continue for the next four years.” She boasts she had “changed the DNA” of the Justice Ministry during her term, and was certain that her successor would continue her reforms — efforts to appoint more conservative judges and strengthen political control over government legal advisers, among other changes.

“After the rails are laid, and the train sets off, it can’t be stopped or turned back,” she declares, adding, “Besides, I fully intend to come back.”

Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit praises Shaked, saying, “You came to bring about change, and you changed things. Change isn’t a dirty word.” Though they sometimes disagreed, Mandelblit says, he praises Shaked for carrying out her reforms “with study, dialogue and attentiveness.”

State Attorney Shai Nitzan speaks openly about the disagreements at the ceremony. “We have had regular, substantive, respectful, open and serious discussions. We didn’t always agree. We sometimes believed that bills the minister wanted to advance, or other steps she sought to take, did not comply with the Basic Laws, and there were statements that we believed unnecessarily hurt the judicial system. In those cases we made our positions known, had a deep dialogue with you, and in many cases came to agreement. Even when we did not agree, we always appreciated your seriousness and honesty.”