Finance minister resigns Knesset seat, remains in cabinet

Kulanu party head Moshe Kahlon on Wednesday resigned from the Knesset as part of a technical maneuver that will allow him to remain as finance minister while giving his Knesset seat to another party member.

The resignation will come into effect on Friday and Akram Hasoon will replace Kahlon place in the plenum.

Kahlon’s parliamentary move falls under the so-called Norwegian Law, which allows one minister or deputy minister from a party to leave parliament but still hold onto the ministerial post.

The faction can then bring in another member to take up the Knesset seat, effectively granting government ministers’ parties a stronger presence in the halls of power.

Hasoon, a Druze Israeli, has in the past served as a Knesset member for the Kadima party, which no longer has any seats in parliament.

A minister who resigns from the Knesset does not give up any parliamentary rights — such as immunity from prosecution — or wages. The entry of a fresh lawmaker costs the state about NIS 1.3 million ($328,000) for salaries, three assistants, a car and other expenses, the Hebrew-language Calcalist website reported.

Kahlon is not the first cabinet member in the current government to resign his Knesset position in accordance with the Norwegian Law.

In October, Education Minister Naftali Bennett resigned his Knesset seat making way for his party’s member Shuli Moalem-Refaeli to enter the legislature. Bennett later returned to the Knesset after faction member Yinon Magal resigned in November amid allegations of sexual harassment.

The Shas party has also taken advantage of the legislation.

The law, which was passed last year, takes its name from Norwegian legislation mandating all government ministers resign their seat in the parliament. The process is intended to create a separation of powers between the executive and the legislature.

Critics of the Israeli version of the law say it was pushed through the legislative process to appease coalition partners and — by allowing only one non-MK minister — fails to create any real separation of powers.

A broader “Norwegian Law” was proposed in past years to address what many believe to be a short-handed Knesset, with many parliamentary seats effectively inactive because their occupants served as cabinet ministers.

Under current law, serving cabinet ministers are not allowed to serve as Knesset speaker or deputy speaker, to sit on committees or even to propose bills. Ministers are not required to be Knesset members, save for the prime minister.

By definition, this legislative manpower problem is felt most acutely by the ruling coalition. The current 61-seat coalition conducts its parliamentary work without the 20 lawmakers serving in cabinet posts and seven more in deputy ministerial positions. The 59-seat opposition suffers no such pressures.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.