NGO to A-G: Block Netanyahu from appointing public security minister

Debate about if his trial creates conflict of interest

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
ATTORNEY-GENERAL Avichai Mandelblit has been one of the main players, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, in the current political stalemate. (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
ATTORNEY-GENERAL Avichai Mandelblit has been one of the main players, along with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, in the current political stalemate.
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The NGO Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel on Sunday requested that Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit block Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from appointing a new public security minister due to his pending corruption trial.
Last week, Mandelblit's office said that they would make sure that Netanyahu was sidelined from involvement in rule of law appointments to avoid him from being in a conflict of interest.
The impression that was given was that he would not be allowed to be directly involved in appointing a new police chief, state attorney or, in a few years, the next attorney-general (although as prime minister, there are plenty of ways to indirectly influence who is selected).
It was unclear that public security minister would be included in the list of offices where Netanyahu could not directly intervene. 
On one hand, the public security minister is key in selecting the police chief and has an influence on aspects of the broad direction of the police.
On the other hand, the position is a political appointment, and technically, cannot directly intervene in police investigations or decisions.
Still, the public security minister can extend or decline to extend the term of a police chief, can impact resource allocation and has a variety of other methods to influence police decisions.
Reportedly, Likud ministers Miri Regev and Amir Ohana are Netanyahu's leading candidates to replace Gilad Erdan as public security minister.
Both Regev and Ohana have been highly critical of law enforcement's treatment of Netanyahu, whereas Erdan has sometimes criticized and sometimes supported law enforcement, angering Netanyahu.


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