High Court Orders State to Justify Yahuda Eliyahu’s Appointment as Israel Lands Authority Chief

Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday issued an order nisi requiring the state to explain why Yahuda Eliyahu’s appointment as director general of the Israel Land Authority should not be canceled. The ruling came from judges Yael Willner, Ofer Grosskopf, and Khaled Kabub, in response to three petitions challenging the appointment process. The court’s step signals that the petitions raise serious legal questions requiring a deeper review of the process.

The dispute has been building since early this year, when Eliyahu, head of the Settlement Administration in the Defense Ministry and seen as close to Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, emerged as the leading candidate. Critics argued before the appointment that the eligibility requirements for the job were changed and lowered to fit him, while other candidates with greater experience in land administration and planning were pushed aside.

The petitions also focus on what they describe as a close political link between Eliyahu and Smotrich. According to the petitioners, Eliyahu worked for years alongside the finance minister in several public and ideological frameworks, and that connection should have either blocked his candidacy or triggered much stricter scrutiny. Legal advisers in the Housing and Construction Ministry and other government bodies reportedly voiced similar concerns during the process and warned of a “legal difficulty” in approving the appointment.

Despite the objections, the selection committee recommended Eliyahu in late April by a four-to-one vote, saying he was the best fit for the role. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Housing and Construction Minister Haim Katz then formally approved the appointment, and the Prime Minister’s Office said Eliyahu had received the highest professional ranking among the candidates. The state must file its response within a week, and the decisive hearing is set for early July. The post is especially powerful because the Israel Land Authority manages about 93% of state land and shapes housing, new neighborhoods, and land policy across Israel.