Arrangements panel forms temporary Knesset defense and finance committees following stormy debate

By Ariela Karmel

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Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

The Knesset Arrangements Committee approves the establishment of a temporary Finance Committee and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, to be led respectively by B’Yachad MK Liran Avisar Ben Horin and Yisrael Beytenu party leader Avigdor Liberman.

Both committees will comprise 17 members, with their establishment and proposed leadership approved by 13 votes to 9 following a stormy debate.

Avisar Ben Horin’s appointment has faced criticism about potential conflicts of interest because her husband, Itay Ben Horin, is a partner at the public relations firm Ben Horin Alexandrovich, which represents countless major companies across numerous sectors, including banks, investment firms, pharmaceutical companies and real estate businesses, whose interests could be affected by decisions made by the Finance Committee.

Under the Knesset’s ethics rules, a lawmaker must recuse themself from discussions in which they or their spouse has a personal interest.

Addressing the concerns during the meeting, Avisar Ben Horin says that although the conflict-of-interest rules governing ministers do not apply to lawmakers, she is willing to subject herself to “the strictest rules.”

“If there is a matter that I cannot deal with, I will not deal with it, and I will appoint someone else in my place,” she says.

Earlier, the Knesset plenum approved the composition of the 22-member Arrangements Committee. Yashar is represented by chair Roy Folkman, Tair Ifergan, Oshrat Gani Gonen and Yisrael Zeri; Likud by Ofir Katz, David Peter, Moshe Saada, Erez Tadmor and Eli Goldschmidt; B’Yachad by Merav Ben-Ari and Eitan Ginzburg; the Joint List by Ahmad Tibi and Youssef Atauna; The Democrats by Efrat Rayten and Gilad Kariv; Ra’am by Walid Taha and Waleed Alhwashla; United Torah Judaism by Yitzhak Goldknopf; Yisrael Beytenu by Oded Forer; Otzma Yehudit by Tally Gotliv; Religious Zionism by Itamar Eitam; and Shas by Michael Malkieli.