Database
The organisation and functions of the Office of the Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
This database contains the original national contributions bringing together information on The organisation and functions of the Office of the Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
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- Israel
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- Contribution of 01/09/2015
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- http://www.cahdidatabases.coe.int/C/OLA/Israel/2016/9
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http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/abouttheministry/pages/the%20office%20of%20the%20legal%20adviser%20to%20the%20ministry%20of.aspx
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Database of the CAHDI "The organisation and functions of the Office of the Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs" - contribution of Israel - 01/09/2015
Database of the CAHDI "The organisation and functions of the Office of the Legal Adviser in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs" - contribution of Israel - 01/09/2015
1. What is the title, rank and position of the Legal Adviser?
(September 2015)In the Israeli Foreign Ministry, the Legal Adviser is one of the Deputies of the Director General, directly subordinate to the Director General (we have attached for your convenience, a diagram of the structure of the Israel Foreign Ministry). Administratively, the Legal Adviser is directly subordinate to the Director General, while professionally he is subordinate to the Israeli Attorney General, as are all the Legal Advisers in Israel's respective ministries. In addition to his title as Legal Adviser, the Legal Advisor also holds the diplomatic rank of ambassador.
2. What are the principal functions of the OLA?
The Office of the Legal Adviser provides a number of important functions which serve to facilitate and advance the Government of Israel's foreign policy objectives. The OLA provides legal advice, including legal opinions, to the Ministry's top political level (the Foreign Minister, the Deputy Foreign Minister and the Director General), as well as to diplomats at headquarters and abroad on a wide range of issues. Under the Legal Adviser and the Deputy Legal Adviser, the OLA is divided into three departments which serve to carry out this mission:• The Treaties Department, together with the other pertinent government ministries and authorities, as applicable, coordinates the negotiation and drafting of both bilateral and multilateral treaties. This department also oversees the entire ratification process following the signing of an Agreement, including the assimilation of Israel's treaty obligations on the domestic plane. The treaties department also maintains an archive of all of Israel's bilateral treaties.
• The Diplomatic and Civil Law Department provides the necessary support for the proper operation and functioning of the Foreign Ministry. This includes, Inter alia, handling complex employment and contractual issues both in Israel and abroad and managing the Ministry's properties abroad. The department also oversees matters relating to diplomatic, consular and organizational immunities and consular and notary issues from the legal perspective. Additionally, it works in cooperation with the department of international affairs in the Ministry of Justice on issues of Extradition and Legal Assistance.
• The International Law Department provides legal advice on a variety of pressing public law issues relating to the political process, natural resources, human rights, the laws of armed conflict, terrorism, environmental law, and other urgent legal matters. The department provides legal support for various initiatives in the multilateral arena (UN and UN bodies and agencies, international tribunals etc.)
The work of the OLA is also supported by three Legal Advisers at the UN headquarters in NY, in the Hague and in Geneva, which serve to further carry out the mission of the Foreign Ministry.