Bennett accuses coalition of corrupting the State Comptroller vote; Shas defends democratic process.”
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett sharply condemned the government on Wednesday evening following the Knesset’s election of attorney Michael Rabello as State Comptroller, claiming the appointment would ultimately be struck down by the Supreme Court.
Bennett, leader of the “Together” party, accused the coalition of crossing a dangerous democratic line by backing Rabello, whom he described as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s close personal attorney. He argued that appointing such a figure to a post responsible for state oversight undermines public trust and damages the independence of Israel’s watchdog institutions.
“What we witnessed today in the Knesset broke all records of criminality and chaos in Israel,” Bennett charged, linking the vote to what he described as a broader pattern of government failure, including the draft-evasion bills, the abandonment of northern residents, and the failures surrounding the October 7 massacre.
Bennett also questioned the integrity of the voting process itself. He claimed that a vote legally required to be free and secret had effectively become public and politically coerced, saying Knesset members were placed under intense coalition pressure. According to Bennett, the process was “rotten to the core” and would not survive judicial scrutiny.
He further accused the government of trying to avoid accountability for the October 7 disaster by placing a Netanyahu-linked attorney in a role that may be central to future investigations. Bennett said the move showed that the coalition was prepared to compromise institutional independence in order to protect itself politically.
Shas MK Erez Malul rejected Bennett’s remarks, calling them a “vitriolic attack” on a democratic vote. Malul argued that Israel’s institutions of government and oversight must be treated with respect, even by those who disagree with the outcome.
“In a democracy, one must respect the majority decision and state institutions, even when the choice is not to your liking,” Malul said, adding that opposition lawmakers have a responsibility to act with statesmanship.
The clash highlights the deepening confrontation between Israel’s coalition and opposition over judicial oversight, democratic norms, and accountability for the failures surrounding October 7.
