Supreme Court on the failure at the National Insurance Institute: Appoint a CEO immediately after the elections
A panel chaired by Justice Yitzhak Amit determined that the lack of a permanent CEO for nearly four years is a "sevenfold more severe" failure at this time. The state was required to submit an update notice by November 30. Movement for Quality Government: "The foot-dragging must end."
The Supreme Court ruled, within the framework of the Movement for Quality Government's petition regarding the appointment of a permanent CEO for the National Insurance Institute, that in light of the prolonged appointment process, it is to be expected that it will be done "as quickly as possible, and as soon as possible after the elections." The court further ordered the state to submit an update notice after the elections, by November 30, 2026.
Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit and judges Ofer Grosskopf and Yechiel Kasher emphasized in their decision the severity of the situation. They noted that since November 2022, for nearly four years, no permanent CEO has served at the institute—a failure defined as "difficult in routine times, but sevenfold more difficult in this critical period," in which the National Insurance Institute is required to provide responses to tens of thousands of victims following the events that have afflicted the country since October 7, 2023.
The court noted that a search committee has been established and threshold conditions have been set, and welcomed this. However, the petition remains pending, and a date for a further update was set, with an explicit expectation for rapid progress in the appointment after the elections.
Advocate Stav Lavna-Lahav from the Movement for Quality Government, representing the petition, stated:
"For nearly four years, the National Insurance Institute has been operating without a permanent CEO, precisely at a time when it is required to provide responses to tens of thousands of Israelis who have been harmed since October 7. The Supreme Court's decision clarifies that this foot-dragging must end. We will continue to insist that the appointment process be completed quickly, transparently, and according to the law, until a permanent and worthy CEO is appointed for the institute."
The affair has been ongoing since November 2022, when the term of the last permanent CEO ended. Since then, the institute has been managed by acting officials. The Dotan Committee for checking appointments previously disqualified four candidates for the CEO position due to failure to meet threshold conditions, and warned of concerns regarding the "tailoring" of threshold conditions to the measurements of specific candidates.
