The Secretary is appointed by the Government, in accordance with the Prime Minister’s recommendation.As head of the Government Secretariat, the Government Secretary is responsible for its work and is involved in all its fields of responsibility:• The Government Secretary is responsible for setting the agenda for the Government meetings and the Ministerial Committees. To that end, the Secretary has a staff which assists him in this complicated task. Additionally, the Government Secretary maintains constant contact with all members of Government, and in this framework resolutions proposed for the Government and the Ministerial Committees are coordinated.• The Government Secretary acts as the Government Spokesperson, and is thereby responsible for briefing media representatives at the end of the weekly Government meeting. The Government Secretary’s briefings to the press can be read on the page “Government Secretary Announcements to the Press”.• The Government Secretary bears responsibility for liaising between the Government and the Knesset, and fills this position in coordination with the Minister Responsible for the Liaison Between the Government and the Knesset.• The Government Secretary briefs the President of the State on the activities of the Government on a weekly basis.• The Government Secretary follows-up on the implementation of Government Resolutions.• The Government Secretary carries out other tasks designated to him by the Prime Minister.
Avihai Mandelblit is 50 years old. He is married to Ronit and has six children.
Maj. Gen. Mandelblit earned an LL.B. from Tel Aviv University, and an LL.M. from Bar Ilan University.
Military Background:
In his last military post, Maj. Gen. Mandelblit served as the Military Advocate General.
Prior to that Maj. Gen. Mandelblit held several positions in the Military Advocacy, including Deputy Chief Military Prosecutor, Chief Military Defender and Deputy Military Advocate General.
In addition, he served in two judiciary capacities: as a judge in the military court of the Gaza Strip, and as Deputy-President of the military court of the Southern Command and Ground Forces.
Positions:
1985-1988 Military Prosecutor at the Southern Command and Ground Forces Advocacy
1988-1990 Chief Defense Attorney of the Southern Command and Ground Forces
1990-1991 Regional Defense Attorney, in charge of legal defense in the Central Command, Air Force, General Staff and Home Front Command
1991-1992 Judge at the Military Court of the Gaza Strip
1993-1996 Senior Assistant to the Chief Military Prosecutor
1996-1997 Deputy to the Chief Military Prosecutor
1997-2000 Deputy-President of the Military Court of the Southern Command and Ground Forces
2000-2003 Chief Military Defender
2003-2004 Deputy Military Advocate General
2004-2011 Military Advocate General
Since retiring from the IDF, Maj. Gen. (Res.) Mandelblit has served as a senior research associate at the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). He is writing his doctoral thesis on Lawfare and the State of Israel – Past Experience and a Glance to the Future at Bar Ilan University.