Coalition nominates Netanyahu's lawyer as next state comptroller

Likud lawmakers said to face pressure from PM to back Michael Rabello in June 3 secret-ballot vote, despite support among some for opposition pick, retired justice Yosef Elron

By Ariela Karmel

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and Sam Sokol 20 May 2026, 10:52 pm

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The coalition on Wednesday nominated Michael Rabello, a lawyer who has represented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on several occasions, for the position of state comptroller.

Thirty lawmakers, including all coalition faction leaders, signed onto the nomination, which Netanyahu was reported to have personally pushed for.

Rabello has represented the premier before the High Court of Justice on multiple occasions, including in petitions against the government demanding that a state commission of inquiry be established into the failures surrounding the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and atrocities.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman is due to complete his seven-year term this summer. The Knesset will elect his replacement in a secret-ballot vote on June 3, with the winner requiring the support of a simple majority of lawmakers.

The state comptroller has the authority to audit and review the functioning of government ministries and agencies and examine whether they are acting legally, efficiently and properly.

Meanwhile, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party announced Tuesday that it had “begun collecting the necessary signatures to submit the candidacy of [retired] High Court Justice Yosef Elron for the position of state comptroller.”

Retiring Supreme Court Justice Yosef Elron, right, and Supreme Court President Isaac Amit at a retirement ceremony for the former, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, September 18, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/FLASH90)

Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party later announced that its MKs would also support Elron’s candidacy.

Elron, who was appointed to the nation’s top court in 2017 and retired in 2024, is seen as a staunch conservative. Justice Minister Yariv Levin unsuccessfully sought to have Elron installed as Supreme Court president instead of Isaac Amit. He has been praised by Amit and Attorney General Gali Bahav-Miara for his contributions to criminal jurisprudence in Israel.

According to a Channel 12 news report on Wednesday, coalition lawmakers, including members of Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, had also sought to nominate Elron, but the prime minister lobbied for Rabello.

Sources involved in the matter told The Times of Israel that Elron’s supporters believe that a “moderate conservative former judge with integrity can win over members of the coalition in a secret ballot.”