From the Liveblog of
Monday, November 9, 2026
Yashar’s Roy Folkman set to chair powerful Knesset Arrangements Committee
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela 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 is set to head the powerful Knesset Arrangements Committee following the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset tomorrow, according to Hebrew media reports, after Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot was officially granted the mandate by President Isaac Herzog yesterday to form a government.
The temporary committee, which oversees much of the Knesset’s business until a new government is formed, wields considerable power over the parliamentary agenda.
Crucially, it can establish temporary and special committees to advance legislation before the Knesset’s permanent committees are formed, typically after a new government takes office. This could allow the anti-Netanyahu bloc to pursue some of its legislative priorities even without forming a government, including repealing several of the judicial overhaul laws passed by the outgoing government.
The chairmanship of the committee is held by a member of the party tasked with forming a government, meaning Folkman’s tenure could be short-lived if Eisenkot fails to assemble a coalition within the allotted 28 days, with a possible 14-day extension, and the mandate he received passes to another lawmaker.
Folkman, 51, is a former Kulanu lawmaker who first entered the Knesset in 2015. A social activist and strategic consultant, he co-founded the Jerusalem-based Hitorerut movement and holds the No. 17 spot on Yashar’s Knesset slate.
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