Israeli Supreme Court Suspends Michael Rebilu's Appointment as State Comptroller

The Israeli Supreme Court has temporarily suspended the appointment of attorney Michael Rebilu as State Comptroller following petitions challenging the appointment process. The petitions arose after members of the Knesset publicly recorded and shared their votes during the selection, raising concerns about the secrecy of the ballot. The court's five-judge panel proposed holding a new election for the position, but Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana rejected this suggestion, stating on X that the Knesset had already spoken.

Rebilu was elected in the second round of voting with 61 votes against 57 for retired Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron. In the first round, Elron led with 60 votes to Rebilu's 57, but neither candidate achieved the required majority of 61 votes, prompting a runoff. During the second round, opposition MKs accused Likud members of being instructed to photograph their ballots behind the voting curtain, compromising ballot secrecy. Some MKs, including Hanoch Milwitsky, posted images of their ballots showing Rebilu's name.

The petitions were filed by the Movement for Quality Government, the Israel Bar Association, opposition factions Yesh Atid and Blue and White, MKs Karin Elharar (Yesh Atid) and Naama Lazimi (The Democrats), the Israelis Association, Yaya Pink, and attorney Yehuda Ressler. They argued that the statutory secrecy of the vote was violated. The Supreme Court's decision reflects ongoing tensions over transparency and procedural integrity in appointing key public officials in Israel.