Yesh Atid, Blue and White support former conservative justice Elron for state comptroller

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

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.

In a statement, Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party announces that its MKs will also support Elron’s candidacy.

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

Michael Rabello, an attorney who has represented Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the High Court of Justice on several occasions, is also a candidate for the position of State Comptroller, Hebrew media reported last week.

Netanyahu himself is pushing Rabello’s candidacy, Kan reported, and has held several meetings with coalition party heads in an effort to persuade them to support him.

Rabello has represented Netanyahu in High Court petitions when the attorney general has opposed the government’s position, including the petitions demanding that a state commission of inquiry be established into the failures surrounding the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, invasion and atrocities.

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.

The comptroller is elected in a secret ballot in the Knesset, and must secure a majority.