Israeli State Opposes Yehuda Eliyahu Remaining as Head of Israel Land Authority

The Israeli State, through the State Attorney's Office, opposes Yehuda Eliyahu continuing as CEO of the Israel Land Authority (ILA), even in an acting capacity. This stance contrasts with the government’s position submitted to the Supreme Court two days earlier, which requested Eliyahu be allowed to remain in office despite agreeing to annul his appointment and conduct a new selection process. This divergence between the government and the State in legal proceedings has become increasingly common.

Eliyahu was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and Housing and Tourism Minister Haim Katz. However, three petitions challenged his appointment, citing a deep personal and political connection between Eliyahu and Smotrich, which raises concerns about conflicts of interest and undermines public trust in the appointment’s professionalism and impartiality. Both Eliyahu and Smotrich acknowledge a 27-year friendship.

The Supreme Court justices Yael Wilner, Ofer Grosskopf, and Khaled Kabub rejected the argument that Eliyahu’s special qualifications justified the appointment. Additional flaws were found in the selection process, including potential conflicts of interest involving two of the five members of the selection committee. The court proposed annulling the appointment and restarting the selection committee after replacing those members.

While all parties agree the appointment is invalid and a new committee should be formed, the government wants Eliyahu to remain in office until the new process concludes. Petitioners fear this would allow him to retain power for an extended period. The State argues Eliyahu cannot stay as CEO because it would give him an unfair advantage over other candidates and due to the procedural flaws in his appointment.

Another point of contention is the scope of candidates for the new selection process. The government seeks to limit interviews to the top three candidates from the previous round, including Eliyahu. The State demands a near-complete restart, with new criteria and interviews for all 14 candidates who reached the interview stage previously, plus the right to summon additional candidates who did not participate before.