JERUSALEM — Israel’s attorney general, Avichai Mandelblit, was Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s favored candidate for the country’s top legal job. Now, Mr. Netanyahu’s fate lies in Mr. Mandelblit’s hands.

Critics suspect that Mr. Mandelblit, having previously served as Mr. Netanyahu’s cabinet secretary, and once widely considered a Netanyahu loyalist, remains beholden to the prime minister who promoted him. Admirers say the law is Mr. Mandelblit’s only agenda and his moral compass.

Either way, Mr. Mandelblit, who rose from relative obscurity as a military prosecutor, is likely to become the most scrutinized person in Israel in the coming months.

After the Israeli police on Tuesday recommended that Mr. Netanyahu be charged with bribery, fraud and breach of trust in two corruption cases, Mr. Mandelblit became the one who will ultimately decide, in consultation with state prosecutors, whether the evidence warrants taking Mr. Netanyahu to court.