Court ruling10/19/2026

KKL-JNF Chairman Permitted to Publicly Express a Political Position

The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee for the 26th Knesset, Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Noam Sohlberg, dismissed Deputy Minister Almog Cohen’s petition against KKL-JNF Board Chairman Eyal Osterinsky. He ruled that the prohibition on KKL-JNF employees participating in election propaganda does not apply to the political role of the board chairman.

Key facts

•Decision by the Chairman of the Central Elections Committee
•Publication date: October 19, 2026
•Petitioner: Deputy Minister Almog Cohen
•Respondent: KKL-JNF Board Chairman Eyal Osterinsky
•Grounds for the dispute: Knesset Elections Law
•The amount of legal costs was not specified

Grounds for the Dispute

Osterinsky publicly expressed support for Gadi Eisenkot and called on voters to vote for him. Cohen viewed this as prohibited election propaganda and argued that the Knesset Elections Law prohibits KKL-JNF employees from participating in political propaganda.

Why the Petition Was Dismissed

Sohlberg distinguished between the professional-executive echelon in the public sector, which is required to remain neutral, and the elected political echelon. The KKL-JNF Board Chairman is not appointed as an ordinary employee under conventional employment relations: he is elected by representative bodies on the basis of agreements and a partisan-political allocation of positions. Accordingly, the prohibition applicable to KKL-JNF employees was not applied to Osterinsky.

The Restriction Remains in Force

The decision does not permit the use of public property for political propaganda. Sohlberg separately emphasized that the relevant prohibition remains in force despite the political nature of the role of KKL-JNF Board Chairman.

Legal Costs

Cohen’s petition was dismissed, and he was ordered to pay legal costs. The amount of the costs, the case number and the full wording of the operative portion of the decision were not specified in the source material.

What this means for you

The decision distinguishes between rank-and-file KKL-JNF employees and its board chairman, who is elected to a political position. Holding such a position does not in itself prevent the officeholder from publicly supporting a candidate, but the use of public assets for propaganda purposes remains prohibited.

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