Justice minister: AG has no veto power over legislation proposals

Ayelet Shaked: The attorney general can counsel the government, but when it comes to legislation, there’s no such thing as veto power and Knesset has final say • Mendelblit: Political echelon must understand rule of law doesn’t mean the rule of AG.

By Yair Altman, ISRAEL HAYOM

Attorney General Avichai Mendelblit has no veto power of legislation proposals, and his role begins and ends with providing the government with legal counsel, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked said Wednesday.

Speaking at a Kohelet Policy Forum, Shaked said that as elected public officials, the prime minister, ministers and MKs are the only ones with legislative power.

“The attorney general can counsel the government but he cannot make decisions in elected officials’ place. The Ministerial Committee on Legislation makes its decisions on merit.

“When it comes to legislation, there’s no such thing as veto power. The Knesset has the final say. I consult with both the Attorney General’s Office and the office of the Knesset’s Legal Counsel,” she said.

Shaked noted she sees parliament’s relationship with the Attorney General’s Office “the same way as attorney-client [relationship]. We confer, but at the end of the day, the Knesset is the legislator. Natural, if the attorney general says [a bill] can’t withstand legal scrutiny we won’t pursue it. We consult, but at the end of the day, public functionaries, as high ranking as they may be, don’t have veto power. The AG can counsel but elected public officials have the final say.”

The justice minister told the forum that she has been working to make the committee tasked with finding candidates for the position of attorney general redundant.

“The nomination process that I suggest for the position of attorney general is similar to the one by which the military’s chief of staff is named,” she explained. “What’s good for the appointment of the person in charge of protecting the Israeli public at war should be good enough for the appointment of the AG,” she said.

The process of appointing the chief of staff is set in Basic Law: The Military and states that the chief of staff is named by the government, on the recommendation of the defense minister. Shaked’s proposal seeks to give the justice minister similar authority to recommend candidates for the position of attorney general.

Like all other public nominations, the justice minister’s recommendation would be subject to vetting by Public Service Nominations Committee.

Shaked reasoned her move saying, “It’s time to dramatically reduce the never-ending regulation. It has its place in elections and in business … but public officials have to be allowed to appoint who they feel is right for the job. It’s best to keep things out in the open, rather than hid behind a committee.”

Mendelblit, who also addressed the forum, urged the judiciary and the political echelon “to understand that the rule of law does not mean the rule of the attorney general.

“The AG’s role is to assist the political echelon to realize its policies within the law. This is a dialogue that often comes down to a simple process of questions and answers, while at other times it requires a more extensive dialogue, seeking to exhaust the review of possible legal solutions.

“It is important to underscore that this is a bilateral — not a unilateral — process. The political echelon must understand that at times, though it may seem the path proposed by the AG is longer, it is, in fact, shorter, as it will prevent legal obstacles further down the road,” he said.

Mendelblit said he expects the political echelon “to understand and internalize values such as the rule of law and human rights, and to understand that maintaining the rule of law is not simply the judiciary’s interest — it’s an interest shared by the judiciary and the political echelon.”

October 27, 2016 | 7 Comments »

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  1. 13 wedding revelers indicted for celebrating killing of Palestinian baby8 adults, 5 minors charged with incitement to terror for dancing with and stabbing photos of slain Dawabsha family
    http://www.timesofisrael.com/13-wedding-revelers-indicted-for-celebrating-killing-of-palestinian-baby/

    this is how it goes, they needed patsies to cover up their crime of blaming jews for burning a baby.. rivlin,erdan, yaalon and bb all attested to this fake fraud false flag crime…yaalon went on to be a serial criminal at hevron.

    In the meantime they arrest and lock up some jews at a private party celebrating the deaths of their enemies, the enemies who teach their spawn that jews are sons of apes and pigs, the enemy who funds the slaughter of jew killers… now it is a crime to celebrate the death of the enemy at a private party ….. daily the muslims celebrate jewish slaughter and what does this criminal gov do to cover their own crimes… do they bring in and lock up the enemy celebrants… no they lock up a few jews who justly have a right to celebrate the deaths of their perennial enemy jew killers. there is no incitement, just like there was no jewish murder at duma… there was a celebration of dead enemies… that is no crime in a war… and the jews are in a war… does anyone see a peace treaty with the foul and filthy enemy who daily funds and lauds jewish slaughter even naming streets after the slaughterers of Jewish children.

    they have nothing, no crime… this is all a cover… pretending that which they deem immoral is criminal when it is not even immoral to celebrate the death of daily enemy jew slaughterers. this is all to cover up the crimes of their under the table deals, the crimes of accusing jews of burning babies, the crimes of accusing jewish soldiers of murdering terrorist jew killers…. this is all done to also cover up mandebilts crimes of covering up yaalons serial crimes which if prosecuted properly would also call for prosecution of the PM, the IM and the president for causing the revenge murders of jews by yelling fire in a crowded theater. Jews suffer in jail due to the acts of criminals in goverment.

    they cannot admit to the false flag arab arson becuase jews died and jews are still in jail because of their lies… so the criminals must double down on the cover ups with more innocent victims. It is no crime to hate jew killers and enemies, it is no crime to dance in celebration of their deaths, it is no crime to revel in the deaths of jew killers…. do not allow them to confuse your disdain, or disapproval of their behavior for a crime. Every day the muslims on the land of Israel celebrate the slaughters of Jewish children and the criminals in gov leave them alone. the crime is in gov, the criminals are in the gov.

  2. Ministers reportedly approve new hospital, industrial zone, school
    In secret vote, cabinet said to okay Palestinian construction in Area C

    Debate on building in Israeli-run area of West Bank reportedly kept under wraps so as not to miff settler leadership

    The article also noted that a similar measure put forward last year by Netanyahu and then-defense minister Yaalon was thwarted due to fierce opposition from Jewish Home ministers, as well as several of the ministers from Likud. At the time, the Jewish Home ministers threatened to bolt the government and leave the coalition without a Knesset majority should the proposal be approved.

    http://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-said-to-okay-palestinian-construction-in-secret-vote/

    Now we see the real reason for Liberman to enter… they could not pass their give away to the pals
    What did Israel get for giving away this land… peace? the pals gave nothing, Unesco rules against Israel at the pals requests

    Those who supported BB should see the serial fraud behind his actions… of course he must do things in secret, just like his facilitating the illegal euro building…. BB has made deals which if known would cause upsets… that why he wanted labor in cabinet because more is to come… he will need labor when the truth comes out. He freezes the Jews and keeps them in the ghetto lines that the euros and president hussein demanded of the Jews, he locks up jews on false charges and pretends it is Yaalon alone who did it… everything he does is a lie, a fraud a fake… he does nothing for nationalists, for jews, for settlers and everthing for muslims, arabs, foreigners…. he pretends he is always under pressure but I believe he requests that pressure so that all he needs to do is spout a few meaningless words to keep his fake mantle of the champion of the right. fool jews buy into his smoke and mirrors… iran,… all dramas concocted to make him look good…. only he can get away with doing nothing….. everytime folks start demanding results he comes up with a foreign created “crisis” and the result is that folks accept him doing nothing to avert the fake crisis. The latest “crisis” is that obama will not veto.. watch and see what BB will give for that fake crisis.

    Nationalists will soon be out in the cold, he brought in liberman to pass these deals but soon the deals to pass will get bigger.
    Now it is not even land for peace… its land for nothing.

    get back into the ghetto you fool jews… you have been given your line and the judenraat will make sure you stay in the juden boundaries….. do not stray….. no Mount for you, no Judea Samaria for you…. everything that moves forward is for them… the juden are lucky to get a crumb

    Like I said years ago, understandings, secret deals… giving them pieces at a time, freezing the jews…. everything that BB does that makes no sense to the nationalists who voted for him is explained by the secret deals under the table…

  3. @ Sebastien Zorn:

    A very aposite insert from Eidelberg…..but surely your own contributory line at the bottom should have read…”Ohhhh the humility””……

    If I’m wrong I can only apologise, but then fail to see the purpose of your line.

  4. @ bernard ross:

    Aristophanes in Israel

    Paul Eidelberg

    Various observers wonder why no revolution in Israel. After all, they see that one government after another since 1993 has been betraying the country. They see that Arabs have murdered and maimed Jewish woman with impunity. They see that one unmanly Israeli prime minister after another has released hundreds of these Jew-killers. They see that regardless of which political party is at the helm it pursues the same futile and fatal policy of “territory for peace.” This policy makes Israeli prime ministers appear as poltroons.

    What is more, this long train of grievances makes those that led to the American Revolution of 1776 appear trivial by comparison. The indifference to the suffering of Jewish women in Israel is especially outrageous? So why no revolution?

    Have the fighting men of this country been castrated prior to being discharged from the army? Is this why women in this country can think of nothing more intimidating than vigils in front of the Prime Minister’s residence?

    Perhaps these Jewish women should employ – for a different purpose – the stratagem of the Athenian women portrayed in Aristophanes’ masterpiece Lysistrata:

    By the two Goddesses, now can’t you see
    All we have to do is idly sit indoors
    With smooth roses powdered on our cheeks,
    Our bodies burning naked through the folds
    Of shining Amorgos’ silk, and meet the men
    With our dear Venus-plats plucked trim and neat.
    Their stirring love will rise up furiously,
    They’ll beg our arms to open. That’s our time!
    We’ll disregard their knocking, beat them off–
    And they will soon be rabid for a Peace.
    I’m sure of it.

    Have to disagree on one point. The author says, “What is more, this long train of grievances makes those that led to the American Revolution of 1776 appear trivial by comparison.”

    Well, sir, I beg to differ. In the period leading up to the American Revolution, the British committed the worst atrocity in the history of the world against us [spoken with thick yiddish accent:] Liberty Loving, God-Fearing Englishmen: THEY TAXED TEA!!!!!

    Ohhhh, the humanity!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F54rqDh2mWA

  5. ‘Ascending the Temple Mount is a Torah command’

    Rabbi Yisrael Ariel of the Temple Institute disagreed with Rabbi Aviner’s opposition to ascending the Mount. ‘That is exile mentality.’

    Rabbi Ariel said that those who oppose ascending the Temple Mount do so out of an “exile mentality.” “Those who oppose ascending are holding by a worldview that we are still in exile. We came here after 2,000 years, we returned to the courtyards of God to build the third Temple.

    http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/219425

    such rulings help preserve the dictats of the PM who bans Jews from the Mount and allows the muslims to pollute it. Its similar to the wahabbis in saudi who preserve saudi rule with fatwas. Its political, those same folks told Jews it was forbidden to go to Israel in the shoah and caused the slaughter of millions of Jews, those same rabbis send 900k to a rabbis funeral but not one to defend the Mount from muslim pollution… they pretend to be concerned of pollution at the MOunt but it is ok for muslims to pollute it. If they were honest they would demand it be shut to all. This is one more convenient political rubber stamping, giving religious credibility to a political decision. BB knows how to work his resources.

  6. the AG should have no political or executive power… not only should it be an advisory position but it should never be allowed to refuse to act on behalf of the GOI when so instructed. That should mandate automatic dismissal.
    However, Shaked shows that BB uses the AG positon as a lightinng rod and a red herring. He can always blame not moving forward on nationalist and settler issues by having his AG publicly declare that it is illegal. This enables BB to pretend to bring a bill that his AG then shoots down publicly and in that way he can shrug his shoulders and say I did my best, fought the good fight to defend and advance a nationalist agenda.
    As for Mandebilt, I lost all respect for him when he never investigated Yaalon for his serial crimes of abuse of authority and interference with the Justice process at Duma and Hevron. For me, Yaalon was like Clinton with the fake video: putting innocent people in jail to cover up his crimes. This was another case of BB using an appointee as the lightning rod for his own policies of anti nationalism, anti settler and anti semitism at the Mount. BB is able to pretend he is for naitonalists and settlers. Meanwhile Yaalon slinked off to his job as a foreign paid mole in a foreign think tank like the others of his ilk.