At some point, Netanyahu may seek a plea bargain, and a conservative chief prosecutor could help press Mandelblit to give the prime minister more favorable terms.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBAvi Nissenkorn attends an emergency conference on disasters at construction sites in Israeli, at the Knesset, on May 27, 2019(photo credit: NOAM REVKIN FENTON/FLASH90)
Is the Blue and White Party really pushing to appoint a new state attorney?This past weekend, the party announced it was going to initiate the search committee process for picking the country’s chief prosecutor.Early Sunday, Justice Minister Avi Nissenkorn’s office suggested a major announcement of specifics regarding the committee and the time frame for a decision was on the way.Possibly this will still come Sunday night (at press time there were still no details), but even if there is an announcement, there are questions about whether this committee is more about politics than an actual intent to fill the spot.Shai Nitzan stepped down from the role in December. For seven of the 10 months since then, Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit has filled the role in an acting capacity.For three months, prosecutor Dan Eldad filled the role with Likud lawmaker Amir Ohana’s sponsorship, but his tenure was short-lived, essentially ending once it was clear Blue and White would be given the ministry by Likud.For Netanyahu, a conservative prosecutor is crucial.The prime minister cannot erase his impending public corruption trial, but there are many other issues in play.At some point, Netanyahu may seek a plea bargain, and a conservative chief prosecutor could help press Mandelblit to give the prime minister more favorable terms.Also, the Stocks Affair against Netanyahu has not been decided, and while Netanyahu was never made a suspect in Case 3000, there is a pending High Court of Justice petition by an NGO seeking to reverse that.
Further, decisions are still on deck for key Netanyahu coalition partners, UTJ Party leader Yaakov Litzman and Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri.In turn, Mandelblit wants a chief prosecutor who will fit with the views of the law enforcement apparatus and who will be unattached politically to Netanyahu.Blue and White have not shown an overwhelming commitment to a particular ideology on legal issues, but they are intent on whoever is picked being viewed as independent so that their voters will see them as protecting the rule of law.But if Mandelblit remains as acting state attorney, and Blue and White publicly fights for appointing someone new without it getting through, party leader Benny Gantz and Nissenkorn may be almost as happy.They could say they fought the good fight, but simply did not have the votes given the balance of power in the current coalition.If Gantz is getting ready for a new election season in December, then fighting for the state attorney issue can be a theme he can run on even if no one new fills the job.
