A-G withdraws opposition to Ohana appointment for prosecutor
Ohana announced Eldad's appointment on Sunday night over Mandelblit’s objection.
By GIL HOFFMANIsrael's Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit announces his decision regarding indictment of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged corruption, in Jerusalem November 21, 2019; Israel justice minister, Amir Ohana attends a special cabinet meeting in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights June 16, (photo credit: REUTERS/AMMAR AWAD)
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit announced on Wednesday night that he had decided to rescind his opposition to Justice Minister Amir Ohana’s appointment of Dan Eldad as interim state prosecutor.Eldad serves as Jerusalem Economic Crimes Division director. Israel has not had a state prosecutor since Shai Nitzan finished his term in mid-December.Mandelblit said he spoke to Ohana and told him that Eldad is unfit for the post and he should not have accepted it, but he wanted the dispute to end so the State Prosecutor’s Office could function. He reiterated that he gave Ohana seven candidates who were fit for the job, and Ohana never explained to the public why he was unwilling to appoint any of them.Ohana announced Eldad’s appointment on Sunday night over Mandelblit’s objection. His appointment came after Ohana’s first candidate, Deputy Central District Attorney Orly Ben-Ari Ginsberg, rescinded her candidacy after a public outcry.Eldad has a higher rank and has managed one of the prosecution’s larger units, such that even if there is a group of officials with higher rankings, he is viewed as being part of the highest tier of prosecutors.The Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel, which petitioned the High Court against Ben-Ari Ginsberg, announced that it supports Eldad’s appointment.Yonah Jeremy Bob and Alex Winston contributed to this report.
