Justice minister wants to split AG’s authorities into roles of public prosecutor and chief legal counsel to government, but PM says such a move would harm AG’s abilities to fulfill his duties.
Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked’s initiative to divide the duties of the attorney general to two different roles – head of the public prosecution system and chief legal counsel to the government – was thwarted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday.
Earlier this week, Shaked informed the committee to select the next attorney general that the position could be divided and that each candidate will have to bear in mind they might have to give up a significant part of the authorities the position entails.
Netanyahu, however, signaled to the commission that he opposes dividing the role of the attorney general “because it could harm the attorney general’s ability to fulfill his duties.”
“The attorney general plays a critical role in the system of checks and balances, which is at the very foundation of Israeli democracy,” the Prime Minister’s Office said. “Dividing the role could limit the wide overview of the system he currently has, which is required for him to perform his duties in the best possible manner.”
Shaked’s position, which is similar to that of former justice ministers Yaakov Neeman and Daniel Friedmann, is expected to be met – like her predecessors – with firm opposition from Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and senior officials in the judicial system.
During Neeman’s time in office, he enjoyed Netanyahu’s support, as well as that of the prime minister’s senior partner Ehud Barak, but the moment Netanyahu encountered the aggressive objection of the judicial system, he barred Neeman from moving ahead with the plan to divide the role.
Shaked believes there is too much “advisory activism.” She thinks that the fact the attorney general holds so many authorities makes it difficult for him to provide the government with quick consulting services, as well as help it fulfill its policies.
Shaked also believes, like her predecessors, that the powers given to the person holding the position deter ministers from confronting him to her on important issues.
During his tenure, Neeman explained his proposal to split the role by saying: “There is no person in the State of Israel who is entirely dedicated to criminal law enforcement, coordination with the police, the Money Laundering Prohibition Authority and the Tax Authority. If these issues are given the proper attention, results can be achieved.”
According to Neeman’s proposal, the attorney general will deal only with law enforcement.
@ bernard ross:
Since news are seldom presented openly from here I will keep on reporting them as I see them.
The nefarious “Jewish Sektion” of the G SS has removed the weapon from a Jew who is an official member of the self defense group at one of the Jewish villages. He had the weapon with license.
Netanyahu is an arch enemy, not a gamer in action.
SHmuel HaLevi 2 Said:
I think it is important to keep pointing out his action, and describing it in unequivocal terms, each time he takes it until people start to see, as I did, that something in not only rotten in Denmark. it is not enough to call names but to show each time how it is indeed correct to call him those names with facts. I have notices that folks defending BB cannot come up with facts, only their belief that he has a good reason for creating bad facts or they are afraid that the left will take over if Bb is criticized. I point out that the left has already taken over with him at the helm, at least regarding YS, abuse of Jews and settlement. I find it bizarrely amusing how BB has got everyone to view his freeze on new settlement(announcements NIC)as instead a heroic defense of Jerusalem and existing blocks. In other words he defends vociferously that which is already annexed and that “which everyone knows will be kept”. Meanwhile he has killed the settler enterprise.
@ bernard ross:
One has also to observe the whole picture from the standpoint of the PLOVER…
The plover is a well known open range bird that has great expertise at feigning and misdirection to protect its own interests. If one approaches its nest vicinity the creature engages in all kinds of feigned trickery. Play the wounded, screams in the opposite direction of its nest and if need be even attacks anyone who the creature considers a threat to his own interests.
The Oslo criminals and other renegades who I consolidate under the general label of unJews, INTENTIONALLY caused tens of thousands of “victims of peace”, and “painful sacrifices”, (among them about 1800 murdered by their partners), while protecting their hold on power and land via the kibbutzim, etc.
Their operational arms in the military, police and G SS fabricates “files” against those that they target. Simple as that.
Netanyahu and Rivlin have always sneaked parading as Jewish nationalists when in reality acting their role as destroyers all that is Jewish.
Our people are really poorly endowed to identify such garbage early and suffers the consequences for pretending that the flotsam are “la demokratiahhh Israeli”.
Will the masses wake up?
Your call.
One thing I have always liked about Mr Netanyahu is that he never fails to come up to our expectations of his political treachery, especially in dealing with fools who trusted him to form a a truly Jewish nationalist government. Consistency may well be he mark of small minds, but predictability has its merits.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
this is how we can see that it has always been BB in charge of all the travesties of his govs, he appoints others to take the flak or do his bidding, but he is the one who obstructs settlement and allows jews to be abused and comes up with detention laws to imprison protesters, resisters and dissenters. There are no more settlers commiting crimes of murder and arson than in the general population. Ther is however a demonization agenda which is led by Rivlin, BB, Yaalon and erdan… accusing settlers with no evidence. Why? because the demonization of settlement enterprise will make public opinion more amenable to giving away YS
I mean, honestly…
What else did anyone expect from the speechster, liar, betrayer?