Justice Minister Amir Ohana with Orly Ginsberg Ben-Ari
Justice Minister Amir Ohana with Orly Ginsberg Ben-AriJustice Ministry

Supreme Court justice Menachem Mazuz on Wednesday froze the appointment of temporary State Prosecutor Orly Ginsberg Ben Ari.

Mazuz's interim order, issued minutes before the ceremony marking former State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan's retirement earlier this week and Ben Ari-Ginsberg's ascension on Wednesday, drew criticism as an "undemocratic" move which the Supreme Court should not have made,

Earlier, the Movement for Quality Government in Israel had petitioned the Supreme Court against Ginsberg Ben Ari's appointment, claiming that her appointment, which had been decided by Justice Minister Amir Ohana (Likud), "is extremely lacking in reasonableness and is motivated solely by foreign interests, lack of integrity, and lack of good faith."

"Minister Ohana did something extremely serious," the Movement's Chairman, Eliad Shraga, claimed. "In the midst of a legal process against the charged [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu, the person who appointed Minister Ohana to his job and sent him for a very specific task - to eliminate the Prosecutor's Office - he appoints a person who does not have the required abilities to act in the position."

"It's obvious that this has all been done intentionally, in order that the Supreme Court should invalidate the appointment, so that Ohana, Netanyahu, and all their followers will have a lot of kindling against the judicial system ahead of the next elections. Unfortunately, in this case they abused Mrs. Ben Ari, they used her, and after the Supreme Court invalidates her appointment, they will throw her to the dogs."

Ohana, meanwhile, has noted that Ginsberg Ben Ari "has served in the Prosecutor's Office for 28 years, and she has extensive experience in law and finished her law degrees with honors. She is a modest character who has not seen exposure to the media, apparently because of her humble personality."

MK Gideon Sa'ar, who is running for chairman of the Likud party, tweeted: "Though this is not a regular appointment, it is being done under the authority of the Justice Minister. The judicial system must avoid interfering in the appointment, because the question is not whether someone else believes there is a better person for the job, but rather whether the minister acted within his legal authority."

On Tuesday, Ohana questioned the naysayers' motives, noting that Ginsberg Ben Ari cannot do anything against the will of Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit, and that he has not spoken to her any any issue.

"I haven't spoken to Attorney Orly Ginsberg Ben-Ari or with any of those presiding over Netanyahu's files," he said Tuesday. "The Attorney General is the authority on Netanyahu's files. So what's the concern? Can she do something against his will?"

"Orly Ben Ari has more experience than Shai Nitzan did when he was appointed State Attorney," he emphasized.