Knesset approves makeup of powerful Arrangements Committee 63-50, rejecting Likud bid to dilute Arab parties’ influence

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.

Yashar MK Roy Folkman attends a plenary session at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 11, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90)

The Knesset votes 63-50 to approve a 22-member Arrangements Committee proposed by Yashar MK Roy Folkman, who will chair it. The approved makeup gives nine seats to the bloc led by Yashar’s Gadi Eisenkot, nine to the bloc supporting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and four to Arab parties the Joint List and Ra’am.

Under Folkman’s proposal, factions receive one seat on the committee for every five MKs they have. As a result, Likud will have five seats on the committee, Yashar four, and B’Yachad, the Joint List, the Democrats and Ra’am two each. Yisrael Beytenu, Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism, Shas and Religious Zionism will each have one.

The balance matters because the Arrangements Committee wields considerable authority while the Knesset’s permanent committees are being formed. It determines their composition for lawmakers’ approval and can establish temporary Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense committees. Until the House Committee is selected, it also handles parliamentary procedure and Knesset business, and can appoint temporary deputy speakers.

Likud MK Ofir Katz had proposed that each faction receive a representative for every four MKs, which would have given the pro-Netanyahu bloc 15 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc 12 and the Arab factions four, but this was considered too large and rejected.

He then proposed giving his bloc eight seats, the Eisenkot-led bloc seven, and the Arab parties three, but critics objected that the proposal was discriminatory and anti-democratic, and would have tilted the committee in favor of the pro-Netanyahu bloc.

“It was a fair proposal, but they refused because they are trying to conceal their cooperation with terror supporters in the Knesset,” says Katz in the plenum.

“Decency is something you can’t legislate, but there are norms and there are laws,” says Folkman, adding that he had tried to reach an accord with Katz but he wouldn’t agree.