The recent, highly controversial election of Michael Rabello, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s longtime lawyer and adviser, as state comptroller has done nothing if not raise the profile of that largely unknown, uninspiring office.
Members of the opposition denounced the irregularities of the election and what they said was Rabello’s conflict of interest due to his association with Netanyahu and the Likud, while watchdog groups filed petitions against the appointment to the High Court of Justice.
Rabello is now scheduled to take up his position on July 1, although the petitions filed to the High Court may yet delay that date.
But what exactly does the state comptroller do, what authority does the position have, and, crucially, what impact and influence does it have and can it exert over Israeli ministries, agencies, and institutions over which it has oversight?
Moreover, why was Netanyahu so committed to getting Rabello elected?
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition
by email and never miss our top stories
By signing up, you agree to the terms
Attorney Michael Rabello, elected by MKs as state comptroller on June 3, 2026, seen at the Knesset on June 1, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Not-so-secret ballot
The election in the Knesset of Rabello earlier this month was beset by controversy, after multiple Likud MKs videoed or photographed themselves voting for Rabello after senior Likud officials reportedly instructed them to do so, despite Basic Law: The State Comptroller stating explicitly that the vote by Knesset MKs must be conducted by secret ballot.
Rabello lost the first round of voting to retired Supreme Court judge Yosef Elron 60-57, but won a do-over second round 61-57 after senior Likud officials, including at least one MK close to Netanyahu, reportedly instructed Likud MKs to vote for Rabello and record themselves doing so.
Petitions filed to the High Court — including by Elron himself, who was an avowed proponent of judicial restraint during his time on the court — argued that MKs who publicly videoed and photographed their vote violated the requirement of a secret ballot, and therefore undermined the freedom of other MKs to vote their conscience and, by extension, the political independence of Rabello as comptroller.
Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik, in her response, asked the court to dismiss the petitions, however, saying the petitioners presented no direct evidence that Likud MKs had been ordered to document their vote and arguing that the law does not bar an MK from voluntarily documenting their own vote. Afik noted in addition that she had recommended barring telephones from the ballot box in the second round, but that the opposition had agreed with the coalition not to do so.
A hearing in the High Court is scheduled for Thursday.
כמו כן ״דלף״ תיעוד של חנוך מילבצקי מתעד את עצמו מצביע לראבילו pic.twitter.com/xkQQ8YlcS0
— מיכאל שמש Michael Shemesh (@shemeshmicha) June 3, 2026
Who is Michael Rabello?
Rabello is an attorney of 30 years who has spent much of his time working in the field of civil and commercial law.
At the same time, he has served as legal adviser to the Likud party, has represented the Likud party in numerous coalition negotiations when establishing governments after elections, and has also represented Netanyahu and his wife Sara in various court cases.
He has also frequently represented the current government, and previous Likud-led governments, in proceedings in the High Court.
Rabello represented the government in petitions against the appointment of Shas leader Aryeh Deri as a minister in 2023, and more recently has represented the government in opposing petitions demanding that a state commission of inquiry be established into the October 7, 2023, Hamas invasion and massacres.
Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fox and attorney Michael Rabello attend a High Court of Justice hearing on petitions concerning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ability to appoint a new Shin Bet chief, at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem, July 1, 2025. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Rabello also represented Netanyahu personally over High Court petitions in 2020 demanding that he not be allowed to serve as prime minister while under indictment and on trial, and in a libel suit against then-Channel 10 reporter Ravid Drucker.
Rabello has also represented Netanyahu personally in High Court petitions against the NIS 2 million ($685,000) loan he received from real estate mogul Spencer Partrich to pay his legal fees.
The authorities of the state comptroller
The authority of the state comptroller is anchored in law through Basic Law: The State Comptroller from 1988 and the State Comptroller Law of 1958.
The state comptroller is appointed for one term only by the Knesset, and requires a majority of 61 MKs to be elected. And the comptroller can only be dismissed by the Knesset, in a vote requiring two-thirds of Knesset members, 80 MKs in total, to vote for dismissal.
These arrangements were design…
Read the full article at The Times of Israel →
IL