Ohana permits phones during renewed state comptroller vote, rejecting legal advice to ban them

By Ariela Karmel

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3 June 2026, 2:49 pm

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Likud Knesset Faction Secretary Aliza Barashi (center) surrounded by MKs and Knesset officials during the chaotic vote to elect a new state comptroller, in the Knesset plenum, June 3, 2026. (Oren Ben Hakoon/Flash90)

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana allows lawmakers to bring phones into the plenum as the second round of voting for state comptroller is rerun, despite advice from Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik that they be barred in order to protect the secrecy of the ballot, according to a Channel 12 report.

Afik reportedly warned that allowing phones into the voting area could enable MKs to document their votes, undermining the integrity of the secret ballot, but Ohana nevertheless ruled that lawmakers may photograph themselves if they choose.

The decision comes after an uproar in the plenum over reports that Likud lawmakers were instructed to photograph or film their ballots to prove they voted for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s preferred candidate, his lawyer Michael Rabello, halted the vote.