Israel’s attorney-general, Avichai Mandelblit, was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s favoured candidate for the country’s top legal job. Now, Netanyahu’s fate lies in Mandelblit’s hands.
Critics suspect that Mandelblit, having previously served as Netanyahu’s cabinet secretary, and once widely considered a Netanyahu loyalist, remains beholden to the prime minister who promoted him. Admirers say the law is Mandelblit’s only agenda and his moral compass.
Either way, Mandelblit, who rose from relative obscurity as a military prosecutor, is likely to become the most scrutinised person in Israel in the coming months.
After the Israeli police recommended on Tuesday that Netanyahu be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two corruption cases, Mandelblit became the one who will ultimately decide, in consultation with state prosecutors, whether the evidence warrants taking Netanyahu to court.
Mandelblit rose through the ranks of the military justice system to become the military advocate-general. He was catapulted into the political limelight when Netanyahu appointed him as his cabinet secretary in 2013. In his mid-50s, and a father of six, Mandelblit is known to be an avid soccer fan. He become an observant Jew in his mid-20s.
His appointment two years ago to the post of attorney-general was criticised by some legal experts as too swift a transition into a role that requires absolute independence as the guardian of the law and the public interest.
Read the full article written by Isabel Kershner at The Brisbane Times.