The government recently approved the appointment of Cabinet Secretary Dr. Avichai Mandelblit to become Israel’s next attorney general, to replace Yehuda Weinstein. The appointment is for a six-year term. This resulted in two petitions to the Supreme Court challenging the appointment, one by the Ometz organization and the second by the Movement for Quality Government. Both of these petitions were rejected on Monday, 8 Shevat, seemingly clearing the way for Mandelblit to assume his new role. The petitions cite controversial rulings that petitioners felt were sufficient to ban him from the appointment.

Many are angry over the appointment as well as visibly uncomfortable by the growing number of recent appointments of shomer Shabbos persons, not to mention in this case Mandelblit does not wear a kippa sruga but a black yarmulke. Other recent Shomer Shabbos appointments included the heads of the Mossad, ISA and Israel Police.

Interestingly, for some, once the candidate wears a yarmulke his qualifications are no longer the issue at hand. In this case, according to all the experts, Dr. Mandelblit is more than qualified, having served as Chief Military Advocate General in the IDF, where after a career in the Military Prosecutor’s Office rose to the rank of Major-General, as well as now serving as Cabinet Secretary.

Some opine what really has the opponents concerned in this case is that Mandelblit is viewed as the person closed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and they fear this appointment would further strengthen the Prime Minister’s powerbase.

Viewed as an expert in a number areas of law, in the past Mandelblit has often cited legal opinion regarding IDF activities and international law. He was also an outspoken critic of the tainted UN report on IDF operation in Gaza in 2009 known infamously as the Goldstone Report. That report was retracted after it was deemed too bias, even for the UN Human Rights Council.

It is hard to believe there will be additional challenges to the High Court against the appointment and it appears at present, Dr. Mandelblit will indeed assume his new role as Israel’s Attorney General.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)