From the Liveblog of
Thursday, January 29, 2026
Bismuth punishes opposition MKs who breached his office
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Following yesterday’s incident in which several Yesh Atid lawmakers entered the staff area outside the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairman Boaz Bismuth’s office, the Likud lawmaker announces that he is removing two of the opposition faction’s MKs from their roles heading subcommittees.
“Following the severe breach last night of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee’s classified compound, I have directed the removal of MK Moshe Tur-Paz from his position as chair of the Subcommittee on Foreign Policy and Public Diplomacy, and the removal of MK Ram Ben-Barak from his membership on the Subcommittee on Intelligence,” tweets Bismuth, adding that his committee is “the ‘holy of holies’ of Israel’s national security, not a playground for provocations.”
Last night, Yesh Atid MKs, including Tur-Paz and Elazar Stern, entered Bismuth’s bureau adjacent to the committee chamber, apparently interrupting talks with representatives of the ultra-Orthodox parties regarding the coalition’s controversial bill to exempt yeshiva students from military conscription.
Video from the scene showed the MKs arguing with Degel HaTorah MK Uri Maklev outside of Bismuth’s private office, with Tur-Paz picking up and photographing a document from a desk. The paper in question, a photo of which was shared with The Times of Israel, appeared to be a list of committee members.
חברי הכנסת של יש עתיד התפרצו ללשכה של ח״כ ביסמוט כדי לעשות בלגן נגד הדיון הפנימי של החרדים על חוק הגיוס. תראו בסרטון המצורף את ח״כ משה טור פז, מרים מסמך שאינו שלו מהשולחן במשרד , מצלם בסלולרי והמשיך הלאה.
נאמר לי שזה מסמך סתמי עם רשימת חברי הוועדה.
נניח.
לכן זה בסדר? pic.twitter.com/T7bJRKy64w— יקי אדמקר (@YakiAdamker) January 28, 2026
Bismuth reacted harshly, accusing the opposition lawmakers of crossing a “red line” and declaring that he would report them to the Knesset Ethics Committee. In a statement, Likud also slammed Yesh Atid, characterizing the MKs’ actions as a “violent outburst.”
Asked about Bismuth’s decision to remove him from his position as chairman of the subcommittee, Tur-Paz accuses the Likud politician of promoting draft evasion and attempting to “create ‘spins’ to distract the public.”
“Having been appointed as committee chair specifically to authorize draft evasion, he has lost the right to speak about leading by example,” Tur-Paz tells The Times of Israel. “While the IDF chief of staff warns of a shortage of combat soldiers, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee under his management has turned into a puppet theater.”
The Times of Israel Community.