Retired Supreme Court Justice Elron seeks to freeze Rabillo's appointment as state comptroller

Retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron filed a formal response on Monday to petitions challenging the appointment of Michael Rabillo as Israel’s state comptroller, and asked the High Court of Justice for interim relief that would freeze Rabillo’s entry into office. Elron joined the petitioners on the claim that the second vote in the Knesset was unlawful, a move that could undermine a process that had appeared complete.

In his short submission, Elron said he supports the petitioners “insofar as they concern the illegality of the second vote, held in the Knesset,” and also joins their request for the relief sought in the petitions, including an interim order suspending Rabillo’s assumption of the comptroller post. He focused only on procedural and constitutional issues.

Elron said the vote was flawed in two technical-legal respects. First, he cited an alleged breach of ballot secrecy, which is meant to allow lawmakers to vote freely without pressure. Second, he argued the second round of selection was procedurally defective, either because it violated the Knesset’s rules or because the required conditions for deciding the contest were not met. In his view, if the vote itself was illegal, the result has no force and the appointment is invalid.

Notably, Elron did not join the more serious conflict-of-interest allegations raised by MK Naama Lazimi against Rabillo. That decision suggests a deliberate strategy to keep the challenge narrowly focused on the legality of the process rather than on personal ties or subjective claims. The case now goes to the High Court, which is being asked to consider freezing Rabillo’s entry into the role.