Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

So this is what is revealed within hours of the announcement from AG Mazuz
(see below) that the Olmert Government isn't technically a "transitional"
government and thus, while it might not look nice for Olmert to keep running
full steam, AG Mazuz wasn't about to actually stop him.]

Statement from the Prime Minister's Media Adviser
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Wednesday, September 03, 2008

The following is in response to reports on Israel TV Channel 2 and inquiries
from the press:

"The Government will, on Sunday, 7.9.08, discuss a plan that has been
coordinated by Vice Premier Haim Ramon, on the issue of voluntary relocation
and compensation from Judea and Samaria. The issue will be discussed but
not voted upon at this stage. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert intends to hear
comments on the initiative; continued treatment of the issue will proceed
accordingly."

----
AG Mazuz declines to retrict activities of Olmert Government - technically
not "transitional"

Mazuz: Israel's government may soon be declared 'transitional'
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 14:46 03/09/2008
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1017845.html

The country's uncertain political situation requires the government to use
caution in exercising its authority, the attorney general said on Wednesday.

Attorney General Menachem Mazuz said on Wednesday that while the current
government is not a transition government, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's
imminent resignation following the Kadima primaries will soon make it such.
These unusual circumstances thus obligate the government at this stage to
carefully weigh the forcefulness with which it implements its policies,
since the cabinet currently is beginning to operate as a transition
government.

A Mazuz aide issued the statement on his boss' behalf after members of
Knesset and a pro-settler legal group demanded the attorney general instruct
Olmert to refrain from making any diplomatic or political moves on the peace
front, whether it be signing an agreement or making any other commitments
which would bind future Israeli governments. The petitioners also demanded
that Mazuz forbid ministers who are winding down their tenures in office to
appoint associates to positions within their respective ministries.

Mazuz's aide pointed out that the matter is a delicate one that is more
suited for the political-public realm, and is less a legal question. The
parliament's function is to supervise the government's activities, thus it
would be in a better position to rein in any moves it would make given its
status will soon be that of a transitional government, the aide said.