Likud files court motion against AG, Labor, Meretz and V15

Likud's motion took place in the context of a legal claim it had already filed against all of the above parties other than Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein.

By YONAH JEREMY BOB
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
The court spokesman announced late Sunday night that the Likud party has made a motion against the Attorney-General, the Zionist Union party, Meretz, V15 and the "One Voice" movement.
Likud's motion took place in the context of a legal claim it had already filed against all of the above parties other than Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein.
Weinstein was added for the purposes of the motion because last Wednesday he told the Central Elections Commission that it does not have the authority to grant the Likud party's request to block advertising by the group known as V15.
More specifically, the motion also attempts to block data mining on potential voters by V15.
Since Weinstein is the highest executive branch legal authority, the Likud's only recourse to try to overturn him was to take the highly unusual maneuver of filing the motion against him also and going to the Jerusalem District Court.
A hearing is scheduled on the issue for Wednesday.
Weinstein said that legal issues raised about V15's activities would be investigated by the police in due course, but that nothing at the present time had been raised which was sufficient to block their advertising.
Previously, State Comptroller Joseph Shapira late Sunday night informed the Central Elections Commission that he would delay probing the political actions of V15 until after the March 17 elections.
The Likud party has accused the Zionist Union of violating laws prohibiting accepting funds from non-Israeli citizens and foreign-funded organizations and governments via V15 (Victory in 2015), a group that, among other things, seeks to promote moves toward defeating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming election.
Shapira explained that there is little basis on which to review whether any laws have been violated until all of the political parties submit their financial reports after the elections.
The accusations came after a wave of scandal accusations against Netanyahu and his wife, Sara, regarding use of public funds or assets for foreign flights and consumption of alcohol and other soft drinks.
V15 has received funding from non-Israeli citizens S. Daniel Abraham and Daniel Lubetzky, but Zionist Union, V15 and its supporters counter that there is no direct connection between V15 and any political party, only a common desire to defeat Netanyahu.
Likud Deputy Transportation Minister Tzipi Hotovely had asked the election committee for a temporary injunction against V15, “so it will be known that a government cannot be toppled with illegitimate means.”
A V15 spokesman responded that Netanyahu and his wife had “consumed so many recycled bottles of alcohol that they were convinced that evil genies were coming out” of them.
“V15 will continue to protest at junctions across the country, and they will continue to recycle and fantasize,” the spokesman said.
Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.