Opposition bloc secures majority in its first Knesset vote, Yashar MK to head key committee

The Knesset plenum approved the composition of the Arrangements Committee on Wednesday, with the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, securing a majority for its proposed lineup.

The Eisenkot bloc’s proposal for the committee's composition passed with 63 MKs in favor and 50 against. It was the first vote held in the plenum after the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset on Tuesday.

The vote demonstrated the ability of the opposition bloc to secure a Knesset majority following the October 27 elections, in which the Eisenkot-led bloc, including the Arab parties, received 67 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats.

However, no coalition has yet been formed, as opposition party leaders have drawn a red line against partnering with the Arab parties. Nevertheless, their support could still allow the bloc to pass key legislation, even while Netanyahu heads a caretaker government.

The Arrangements Committee is a temporary Knesset committee that organizes the Knesset’s work at the start of a new parliamentary term and determines the composition of the key committees that will oversee legislation.

MK Roy Folkman, a member of Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, will head the committee, in accordance with the law stipulating that the Arrangements Committee be chaired by an MK from the faction of the lawmaker tasked by the president with forming the government. 

Yashar's Roy Folkman selected to lead key Knesset committee

Yashar announced on Tuesday that Folkman was selected for the position. The decision was made in agreement with party leaders from the oppostion bloc after Eisenkot was last week granted the mandate to form the next government by President Isaac Herzog.

The vote on the committee's composition will pave the way for the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu by appointing its nominees to head key committees and advance legislation until a new government is formed.

On Tuesday, the Eisenkot-led bloc announced its nominees to head additional key Knesset committees.

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman is expected to chair the influential Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The panel oversees national security matters and military budgets and, notably, also handles legislation related to IDF conscription.

Liran Avisar Ben-Horin, a member of Bennett’s B’Yachad list, was selected to head the Finance Committee.

The Arrangements Committee will discuss and finalize the composition of the committees during its deliberations, which began Wednesday afternoon. Yashar stated on Tuesday that the appointments would then be brought to the Knesset plenum for approval next Wednesday.

Under Folkman's proposal for the Arrangements Committee, which was approved by the plenum, the panel will consist of 22 MKs. The number of MKs representing each party in the committee is proportional to the proposal laid out by Folkman, in which parties receive one seat on the committee for every five MKs they have.

Opposition parties secure nine seats on Knesset Arrangements Committee

From the opposition bloc, Eisenkot’s Yashar will have four representatives; Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad and Yair Golan’s Democrats will each have two; and Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu will have one.

From Netanyahu’s bloc, Likud will have five representatives, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, Yaakov Asher’s United Torah Judaism, and Arye Deri’s Shas will each have one representative.

The two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra’am, will each have two representatives, leading to a total of four MKs.

This composition for the committee contrasted with a separate proposal submitted by Likud MK Ofir Katz, which failed to secure a majority.

Likud criticized the opposition bloc for voting with the Arab parties, reiterating its claim that the bloc was "cooperating with supporters of terrorism."

Although Eisenkot received the mandate to form the next government from the president  - with recommendations from the Arab parties - he is not required to form a coalition with them.

The bloc has recently shifted toward opening coalition negotiations with the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties, which have been key partners in Netanyahu’s coalition, to secure a majority instead.