Demonstration in Tel Aviv : sign reads, "Netanyahu and Deri stink of corruption", November 2015. Dan Balilty / Press Association. All rights reserved.War and security have long dominated public discourse in Israel, often overshadowing the country’s other pressing issues. Notable among these is the legal system’s attitude to high-level state corruption, which has played a crucial role in shaping the Israeli political landscape.
Since the 1990s, as Israel’s economy was gradually liberalised, the country’s law enforcement agencies became more willing to tackle corruption among politicians and government officials. The attitude of the state’s attorney generals has been crucial in this process, as they ultimately decide whether to investigate or prosecute senior public figures.
Perhaps the most assertive attorney general was Meni Mazuz, now a supreme court judge, who held the post between 2004 and 2010. Mazuz led an unprecedented number of investigations and prosecutions against senior politicians, including former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as well as several cabinet ministers, members of the Knesset, and mayors. His decisions as attorney general were not always well-received, with some critics arguing that the legal establishment was exerting undue influence over political decision-making.
