[89229] High Court hearing on documenting Knesset votes: Was there a directive for Likud members?

High Court hearing on documenting Knesset votes: Was there a directive for Likud members?

During a heated legal hearing held today, June 18, 2026, the question of the documentation of votes by Likud MKs was raised. Justice Ruth Ronen directed pointed questions to the representative of the Knesset Legal Counsel, Bart, regarding the circumstances under which MKs began to document themselves during votes in the second round.

Justice Ronen wondered about the coincidence in which seven Likud MKs suddenly chose to document themselves, noting: "We know there are at least 7 MKs who suddenly documented themselves. And it was only in the second round. Does that not constitute an indication that a request was made?". The judge sought to understand whether these actions were "autonomous" or whether they fall within the framework of a covert party directive, as reported on the Avishai Grinzaig - Updates channel.

Conversely, the representative of the Knesset Legal Counsel, Bart, rejected the claims. According to him as published by Netael Bandel et al., there is no evidence of such a directive: "MKs often document themselves... we turned to the relevant parties and they denied it; there were rumors of a directive, beyond that there is no proof".

Israel News Channel IL also followed the development of the hearing, which highlights the tension surrounding procedural rules in the legislature and the legal difficulty in proving the existence of party directives that are not officially documented.