Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit published on Sunday a formal instruction to all government offices and ministries to include Judea and Samaria in all new laws created by the government. According to the new instruction, inclusion of Judea and Samaria in all new laws will not be mandatory, but in any proposed laws where no reference is made to Judea and Samaria, the government office responsible for the law will have to include a proviso with regards to the exception of why these regions were not included.

The instruction was publicized among the upper echelons of the Justice Ministry, and it was written in the instruction that this was the new directive following a special arrangement made between the Justice Ministry and the Attorney General. A few prior to Mandelblit’s instruction, the Justice Minister, Ayelet Shaked, publicized a letter making a similar demand. Now, the instruction is coming from the professional echelon of the Justice Ministry as well.

Head of the Meretz faction in the Knesset Zehava Gal-On said: “In spite of the fact that the government and the Knesset has no right to determine law in Judea and Samaria, the Attorney General passes on an instruction from which there arises a doubt as to whether he wants to or is able to protect the judiciary from the political echelon. If the government ministries begin making laws that apply or make reference to Judea and Samaria, that legitimizes annexation of these areas.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)