Attorney-General Menahem Mazuz officially ended his term and handed the reins to attorney Yehuda Weinstein at a Justice Ministry ceremony on Thursday afternoon. During his inaugural address, Weinstein vowed to work closely with Justice Minister Ya'acov Neeman, saying that “the cooperation between the attorney-general and justice minister is vital to upholding the rule of law.” Weinstein made special note of the struggle ahead of him, against “corruption, violence and dragged-out court cases.” "We have to do our very best," he said. "But let us move from good words to good deeds." Mazuz referred to Wednesday’s incident in which Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch was attacked with a shoe, calling it an “ugly, violent phenomenon.”“It crossed red lines, and is a low point for Israeli society,” he said. “I don’t want to link (other) personal attacks to this incident, but it’s a warning sign.” He went on to stress the importance of preserving the independent status of the office of attorney general. “These days aren’t easy and the challenges are greater than ever,” he said. “It an era of arguments over the democratic rules of the game, it (the independence of the attorney general) is the guarantee of our continued existence as a civilized society. In recent years we have witnessed a dirty wave of attacks on the Supreme Court and police, as well as an erosion of respect for the law.”
