BySARAH BEN-NUN

JUNE 16, 2026 14:13

Updated: JUNE 16, 2026 14:38

State Comptroller-elect Michael Rabello notified the High Court of Justice on Tuesday that insufficient legal foundation supports overturning the Knesset vote that selected him for the post. He dismissed assertions regarding political reliance, potential conflicts of interest, or concerns about coalition lawmakers possibly recording votes behind the voting screen.

Rabello, who acts as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's personal counsel, won election on June 3 to become Israel's upcoming state comptroller after an intense and contested Knesset process. In the opening round, former Supreme Court justice Yosef Elron obtained 60 votes while Rabello secured 57, leaving both below the needed threshold of 61. A follow-up round occurred after opposition members claimed coalition representatives received directions to photograph their ballots, contrary to rules mandating a confidential selection.

Once the process restarted, Rabello prevailed over Elron by a 61-57 margin.

The outcome led to multiple High Court filings aimed at nullifying the result and scheduling a fresh ballot.

Rabello's initial reply, submitted via attorney Ofek Bruck, outlines two primary points: no individual disqualification bars him from the comptroller role, and the balloting method, despite debate, did not violate law sufficiently to warrant court involvement.

"From the beginning," Rabello stated, he "embraces the position to which he was chosen with profound responsibility and complete dedication to every resident of Israel." He denied "any suggestion of political or additional reliance" along with efforts to link misconduct to his decision to run and accept "the significant duty of state oversight."

Rabello maintains filings attempt to transform critique into disqualification

Rabello contended that the filings improperly seek to convert objections to his career history into a formal barrier against his selection. The statute, he noted, assigns choice of the state comptroller to Knesset members rather than the petitioners, and most lawmakers selected him even though his professional record remained fully disclosed.

He stressed that he has never joined a political party, practiced law for over thirty years in the private sector, and advised various clients. He explained that he departed a "stable and calm" professional existence to contribute to the nation and its people.

"One may assume the respondent will serve all citizens through the state comptroller position to which he was properly elected," the filing noted, while adding that he would proceed with "honesty, equity, and resolve."

Rabello recognized that the state comptroller requires independence without external influence, yet maintained that existing statutes already supply protections for such autonomy. The comptroller receives election from the Knesset instead of government appointment, pledges loyalty to the Knesset, collaborates with the Knesset State Control Committee, and faces rigorous restrictions on political involvement and external employment throughout the term.

He further noted that Israeli statutes do not exclude individuals from public roles solely due to prior connections with selecting or oversight entities. Eligibility standards for the comptroller position do not even prohibit political figures or current MKs from candidacy, as long as they exit the Knesset upon assuming the post. Rabello asserted that if such figures face no automatic exclusion, then no basis exists to bar a private attorney who represented the prime minister.

Rabello conceded possible conflicts in specific areas but indicated the suitable remedy involves a routine conflict protocol rather than wholesale reversal of his election. Such a protocol, he explained, would be developed upon taking office, would bar him from addressing particular issues with direct personal ties, and would be made public.

Regarding the ballot itself, Rabello stated he was absent from the Knesset proceedings and did not observe every phase. His stance, he indicated, draws from the Knesset legal adviser's description of events.

Statute mandates secret ballot for comptroller selection

Per Rabello, the statute requires secret balloting for the state comptroller yet contains no explicit prohibition against an MK voluntarily photographing their own ballot. He maintained that confidentiality rests with the voter and that no filing identified a binding legal provision preventing someone behind the screen from recording their choice.

Rabello's filing referenced Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana's statements during the process, following input from the Knesset legal adviser, secretary, coalition leader, opposition delegate, and ballot committee. Ohana remarked that any directive to photograph ballots was "invalid and unlawful," yet noted "confidentiality belongs to the voter" and that if an MK chose "to cast and record their vote," that remained their prerogative.

Ohana then directed emptying of the ballot box and restarting the second round "to eliminate any questions of fairness." According to the Knesset record cited by Rabello, Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben-Ari, acting as opposition representative, indicated the opposition wished to continue the vote.

He argued that this bipartisan agreement, or at minimum the lack of objection at the moment, weakens the filings' assertion of unlawful procedure. He stated that overturning the election would require "substantial proof" demonstrating MKs faced coercion or improper pressure via instructions to document ballots.

The filings, he maintained, lacked such evidence. He also observed that the Knesset legal adviser received assurances from coalition officials that no such directive had been issued to any MK.

Rabello added that annulling the outcome would equate to altering rules after completion of the vote. Ballot procedures, he said, must remain "stable, uniform, reliable, and explicit" prior to the start, and it would be inappropriate for the court to apply a new standard retroactively to actions lawful at the time.

Rabello concluded by cautioning that a new vote would pose operational and constitutional challenges given shifts in Knesset membership since the original ballot. He also highlighted that the statutory deadline for electing the state comptroller before the current term ends has already passed.

The High Court is scheduled to address the filings against Rabello's election this week. The petitions additionally request temporary measures to block him from swearing allegiance before the Knesset and assuming office pending the court's decision.