Avichai Mandelblit
Two new judges were appointed by Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, bringing the total number chosen during her tenure to 334.
The far-right Otzma Yehudit, and far-left Ra’am-Balad and Hadash-Ta’al parties, will be allowed to run in Israel’s upcoming national elections, thanks to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit.
The decision will influence, if at all, those who have supported Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so far, but whose support cracked following Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s announcement.
“We hope those making these charges will work expeditiously, and we hope that the prime minister will be proven to be innocent, and we get back to the world of diplomacy and the security of the state,” said former Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Dore Gold.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit of succumbing to “pressure from the left and the media” in making his announcement prior to elections.
A decision to indict the prime minister on corruption charges would “endanger democracy and freedom of the press,” Alan Dershowitz writes in an open letter to Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, urging him to “consider the dangerous implications.”
Israeli Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit said that pushing the announcement of a decision due to the prime minister’s concern it could politically damage him would be intervening in the elections.
When asked by Movement for Governability and Democracy how they perceive leading officials in justice system, 61 percent say Chief Justice Esther Hayut is left-wing, and that her opinions influence her work.
By making the address, the Israeli prime minister was gambling that proactively keeping the allegations against him at the top the news will actually help him in the polls.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu slams the left and the media for “putting brute, inhumane pressure” on the attorney general to indict him at all cost, says it constitutes an attempt to “grossly intervene” in election.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit is currently reviewing police recommendations to file corruption charges against the prime minister in three investigations.
Nevertheless, Deputy Attorney General Ran Nazri said it was problematic from a constitutional point of view and in terms of the potential international reaction.
