The High Court is currently considering petitions asking that it annul the controversial Knesset vote in which Rabello \u2014 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s longtime lawyer and negotiator \u2014 was elected as state controller at the beginning of June.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260628CG15.jpg\")
\n\t\tSupreme Court President Isaac Amit presides over a hearing in the High Court of Justice for petitions asking that the election of attorney Michael Rabello as state comptroller be annulled, June 28, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
During the vote, which is supposed to be conducted as a secret ballot, several Likud MKs either made their voting slip with Rabello\u2019s name on it visible outside the voting booth, or photographed or videoed themselves voting for him inside the booth, reportedly on the instructions of senior Likud officials.<\/p>\n
In a hearing last week by the court, the justices appeared highly critical of the way the vote was conducted, indicating that the legal requirement of holding a secret ballot was violated, and appeared poised to intervene in the matter, likely by declaring the vote void and ordering the Knesset to hold it again.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s time to tell the High Court of Justice no!\u201d declared Karhi on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Knesset must stand firm against those intoxicated by power, who think that the Supreme Court is above the law, above the Knesset, and above the people,\u201d he continued, adding, \u201cThe Knesset must instruct attorney Rabello to go to the State Comptroller\u2019s Office and enter his position immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n
Likud MK and Knesset Finance Committee Chairman Hanoch Milwidsky said similarly that the coalition \u201cshould ignore this illegal order by the High Court.\u201d<\/p>\n
Elharrar said that the ruling was a welcome development.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe will continue to fight until the vote is completely annulled and a legal, secret, and clean election process is held,\u201d the Yesh Atid MK said.\u2028\u201cAs for those who called for not complying with the High Court\u2019s decision, this is nothing more than the swan song of a failed and harmful government that will soon be gone.\u201d<\/p>\n
In the Knesset election for state comptroller on June 3, Rabello lost the first round of voting to retired Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron, 60-57. A second round of voting then began, since a candidate needs 61 votes to be elected, but was aborted after opposition MKs alleged that coalition MKs had been ordered to record their vote.<\/p>\n
\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/F260603OBH05.jpg\")
\n\t\tLikud Knesset Faction Secretary Aliza Barashi reacts during the state comptroller election in the plenum of the Knesset, in Jerusalem, June 3, 2026. (Oren Ben Hakoon\/Flash90)<\/p>\n
When the second vote started over, at least seven coalition MKs recorded themselves voting for Rabello, Netanyahu\u2019s favored candidate, who then won 61-57, with some coalition MKs having apparently switched their votes from the first round.<\/p>\n
Petitioners alleged that the process was contaminated, violating the requirement in Basic Law: State Comptroller that members of Knesset vote by secret ballot, and argued that this component of the law was designed to bolster the office\u2019s political independence.<\/p>\n
After a first hearing in court on June 18, the High Court strongly recommended that the Knesset redo the election \u201ccleanly and properly\u201d because of the irregularities, but Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana refused.<\/p>\n
This led the court to conduct a second hearing with an expanded five-justice panel on June 28, leading to Wednesday\u2019s interim decision.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\tWe can’t do this work alone.\t\t\t<\/p>\n
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The war with Iran has been draining for all of us in Israel. But when I heard about a high casualty incident \u2013 ballistic missile impacts in Arad and Dimona that left nearly 200 people wounded \u2013 I drank a cup of coffee, packed a bag, and headed south.<\/p>\n
There, I spoke with Shilgit, the head of an after-school program for underprivileged youth. Standing outside her destroyed center, Shilgit said it was a miracle that no children were hurt and spoke about the community coming together in the hours since.<\/p>\n
As a Times of Israel reporter, I\u2019m committed to telling stories of resilience like Shilgit\u2019s. But my colleagues and I can’t do this alone. If you value work like this,<\/strong> please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community.<\/strong> Your financial support is essential to keep real human reporting like this going.<\/p>\n \u2014 Stav Levaton, military reporter<\/strong><\/p>\n \t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\tYes, I’ll join\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n
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