The election of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s personal attorney, Michael Rabello, by the Knesset as Israel’s new state comptroller represents everything wrong with Israeli politics today.
And that is not because of Rabello.
Netanyahu’s attorney has been described by others as a pleasant man and a talented lawyer who has earned the respect of many within Israel’s legal system.
Whether he is qualified for the role is ultimately beside the point – the problem is not necessarily the man who won the position, but the manner in which he was elected.
State Comptroller’s Office essential for integrity, function of governemnt
The state comptroller is one of the most important watchdogs in Israeli public life. The State Comptroller’s Office oversees the integrity and functioning of government institutions, audits ministries and public bodies, investigates failures, and publishes reports that can shape public debate and drive reforms.
The comptroller is entrusted with broad access to documents and information precisely because the office serves as an independent check on those in power. That independence is crucial to the comptroller’s ability to carry out their job.
Recognizing the importance of the position, Israeli law requires the comptroller to be elected through a secret ballot in the Knesset. This is done to preserve the integrity of the vote, protect lawmakers from coercion, and allow them to exercise independent judgment free from political pressure.
Yet, reports that coalition lawmakers were required to film themselves voting for Netanyahu’s preferred candidate effectively turned a secret ballot into a loyalty test.
The argument heard in defense of the fiasco was that lawmakers have the right to document their own vote, even if doing so compromises the secrecy of the ballot.
The real challenge, supporters argue, would be proving that such documentation was done at the demand of Likud, a claim denied by the coalition.
However, it is difficult to imagine any other scenario in which so many coalition MKs would independently decide to record themselves casting their ballots.
They did not share the footage publicly. They did not post it on social media. They gained nothing politically from documenting their votes unless someone expected to see the evidence afterward.
Among some of the coalition’s supporters, this has largely been dismissed as a clever workaround, or a “creative solution,” to ensure Netanyahu’s preferred outcome. But the logic is dangerous.
If the principle of ballot secrecy can be so casually discarded when it becomes politically inconvenient, what other democratic safeguards might someday be treated as obstacles to be circumvented rather than protections to be preserved?
A culture of blind loyalty taking hold in Israeli politics
This episode reflects a culture that has increasingly taken hold in Israeli politics, particularly within Netanyahu’s coalition.
The expectation is not that lawmakers think for themselves, but that they fall in line – making the Knesset no more than a rubber stamp for the prime minister.
And while coalition discipline is a normal feature of parliamentary politics, there is a vast difference between party discipline and demanding proof of loyalty in a vote specifically designed to be shielded from pressure.
The comparison many Israelis have made is uncomfortable, but understandable. A coalition run like a mafia – based on fear, personal loyalty, and proof of allegiance – cannot properly serve the public interest because its first priority is protecting the leader, not the country.
In the aftermath of the vote, Yashar! head MK Gadi Eisenkot penned an open letter to Rabello, calling on him to refuse the role due to the nature of the election process.
“You were chosen through a dictatorial process that challenged Israeli democracy and was led by a prime minister who does not enjoy the public’s trust and sees himself as above the rule of law,” Eisenkot wrote on X/Twitter. “If you have even a shred of morality and values, you should immediately announce that you are unwilling to accept the position.
“If you agree to take it, you will be disqualified in my eyes, and in the eyes of many others, from holding any public office in Israel.”
Whether Rabello accepts the position or not is ultimately secondary. The real scandal is that a secret became an exercise in proving loyalty to the prime minister.
The degradation of Israeli politics is rarely captured in a single image.
This time, it may have been captured in dozens of videos recorded behind the curtain of a voting booth that was supposed to guarantee freedom of choice.
