Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Thursday, 7 Kislev, sent a letter to his assistant, Dina Zilber, explaining he was making do with censuring her and she was not going to be dismissed. Justice Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Ayelet Shaked fired back, explaining despite Mandelblit’s position, Zilber will be prohibited from Knesset in the until the end of the current session.

The matter deals with Zilber, who is known for her strong left-winger philosophy, spoke out against a bill from Culture & Sports Minister (Likud) Miri Regev, the Loyalty in Culture bill, a bill seeking to curtail governing funding of cultural institutions that are not loyal to the state.

Zilber spoke out strongly in opposition to the bill, prompting Shaked to defend it and announcing Mandelblit should dismiss her. Shaked decided to bar Zilber from representing the government in Knesset and Knesset committees, calling Zilber’s remarks unprofessional and political in nature.

Rather than addressing the matter, Mandelblit preferred to tell Shaked to “mind her own business”, explaining it was his place to deal with his subordinate, a deputy attorney general, not Shaked’s. Mandelblit has decided to censure her and not dismiss her. Shaked however, who is not satisfied with Mandelblit’s decision, is banning Zilber from Knesset until the end of the current session.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)