Why the A-G asked for two-day delay to decide if PM can form gov’t
Though Mandelblit was ordered to give his legal view on the issue by Wednesday, he asked to delay his answer until Friday.
By YONAH JEREMY BOBATTORNEY-GENERAL Avichai Mandelblit faces a decision that not only will determine his career, but also the trajectory of the state.(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit asked the High Court of Justice for a two-day delay before having to give his view on whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is eligible to form a government given that he has been indicted for bribery.To date, Mandelblit and the High Court have fended off multiple moves to get Netanyahu disqualified but this particular line of legal attack has proved the most controversial.Already on December 12, the High Court ruled that Netanyahu can remain premier for the time being, rejecting a petition by the Movement for the Quality of Government in Israel seeking his immediate resignation.Yet a second petition filed by a group of hi-tech officials and lawyer Daphna Holech-Lechner put forward a more subtle line of attack.Rather than asking the High Court to immediately fire Netanyahu, they asked the court to declare publicly whether Netanyahu is eligible to form a new government if he wins the upcoming March 2 elections.This line of attack is harder for Mandelblit and the High Court to dismiss on technical grounds because it is not seeking to undo the will of the voters who previously elected Netanyahu, but to provide voters information about the status of one of the main candidates they may choose to vote for.Though Mandelblit was ordered to give his legal view on the issue by Wednesday, he asked to delay his answer until Friday.Originally, the attorney-general was expected to “punt” on the issue and say that it was theoretical and would only become concrete if Netanyahu can gain the support of 61 MKs after the March 2 election.However, the latest slight postponement suggests that Mandelblit will express a definitive opinion on the issue, which could be decisive in how the court itself decides the prime minister’s fate.
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