Israel’s weekly roundup opens with the High Court fight over the election of the next state comptroller. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana rejected the court’s proposal to hold the vote again, fearing that complying could hurt him in party primaries. The High Court then issued an order nisi in petitions seeking to void the vote, and may yet order a repeat ballot. The court’s review of the appointment of attorney Michael Ravilo, described as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal lawyer, is said to focus only on secrecy violations in the vote, not the glaring conflict of interest.
A separate report by the state comptroller warns that the National Insurance Institute could go bankrupt by 2035 because of a huge rise in benefit payments. The institution already faces a massive deficit and could also exhaust about 200 billion shekels in reserves held by the Treasury. The likely consequences are deep cuts to benefits and eligibility, plus higher national insurance contributions. The column says a recovery plan is needed, especially to slow the growth in long-term care and child disability benefits, and argues that employers should pay more than their current, unusually low 30 percent share compared with developed countries.
On defense industry developments, Anduril is moving toward opening operations in Israel. Founder Palmer Luckey visited in the winter and concluded the company needed a presence there. His team is now meeting senior figures from Elbit Systems, the Defense Ministry’s Directorate of Defense Research and Development, and reserve generals to build a local operation that could include development, target acquisition for purchases, and perhaps even a factory. Anduril, founded less than ten years ago, already sells more than $2 billion a year and was valued at $61 billion in its last funding round.
The Bank of Israel also announced a new overdraft-fee reform. Banks will no longer be able to charge per individual basic transaction, and all customers will get a package of 100 transactions for a fixed fee of up to 10 shekels. The piece says the previous 2014 package system failed because 24 percent of bank customers, almost one in four, did not buy it even though they paid more than 10 shekels a month in fees. The week also includes commentary on British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s resignation, framed as a reminder that resignation should mean taking responsibility.
