MK Danny Danon (Likud) called on Monday to put an end to what he
termed “the rule of legal advisers” in Israel. Speaking at a
gathering of deputy mayors, he explained that legal advisers try to
promote their own personal agendas and interfere as elected officials
try to run the country.
Danon brought as an example the issue of the Ulpana neighborhood in
Beit El, explaining how Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spent
countless hours trying to find a solution to prevent the demolitions.
He finally found an agreed upon solution which even received approval
by the State Attorney’s Office.
“The Prime Minister comes to a discussion in his office, after
reaching an agreement on the Ulpana neighborhood, and the State
Attorney’s Office people come and tell him, ‘Mr. Prime Minister,
we’ve changed our minds. What we said last week cannot be done.’ And
then the Prime Minister has to fight to have the agreement he
presented accepted by legal experts,” said Danon.
He added, “This happened in the State of Israel just last week, and
it happens in your local councils.”
“Today, the person who makes the ultimate decision is that same legal
adviser who expresses his personal opinion, and he matches his legal
opinion to what he wants to happen,” said Danon. “These things are
infuriating.”
Speaking to Arutz Sheva after his remarks, Danon said, “We, the
elected officials in the municipalities, in the Knesset and even in
the government have found ourselves in a situation where we cannot
decide and we cannot lead.”
