From the Liveblog of
Monday, August 4, 2025
Knesset panel okays Bismuth’s ascent to defense committee head, replacing Edelstein
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"
The Knesset House Committee votes 10-4 in favor of MK Boaz Bismuth as the next chairman of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, replacing fellow Likud lawmaker Yuli Edelstein as chairman of the powerful parliamentary panel.
Ahead of the vote, House Committee chairman Ofir Katz complains that there had been no forward motion on a bill dealing with ultra-Orthodox enlistment in Edelstein’s committee for the past two months, creating a political crisis. Both the United Torah Judaism and Shas parties have exited the government due to the impasse, though Shas has remained in the governing coalition.
Following the House Committee vote, members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee receive a message to convene for a vote to complete the process of replacing Edelstein with Bismuth at 6:10 p.m. The move is widely expected to be approved, despite a warning from Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik that it “could critically affect the integrity of the legislative process” and “disrupt the shaping of the bill.”
The Times of Israel Community.