Knesset Approves Folkman’s 22-Member Arrangements Committee Plan, 63–50

The Knesset voted 63–50 on November 11 to approve Yashar MK Roy Folkman’s proposal for a 22-member Arrangements Committee. Folkman will chair the committee, which manages parliamentary arrangements while the new Knesset establishes its permanent committees. The plenum rejected a competing proposal by Likud MK Ofir Katz. The approved formula allocates one committee member for every five MKs. Likud receives five seats and Yashar four. Together, the Joint List, The Democrats and Ra'am receive two each; Yisrael Beytenu, Otzma Yehudit, United Torah Judaism, Shas and Religious Zionism receive one each. The chairmanship goes to the faction of the lawmaker entrusted by the president with forming a government. Folkman said he had offered Katz an agreement on the committee’s composition. “Good politics, in my view, is pragmatic politics,” he said. Katz’s alternative proposed 18 members, with one seat for every seven MKs. He described the division as eight seats for his bloc, seven for the other bloc and three for Arab MKs. Likud renewed its call for a unity government after the vote, criticizing the parties of Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman and Naftali Bennett for voting alongside Ahmad Tibi and Mansour Abbas. The Arrangements Committee submits the proposed membership of permanent committees to the plenum. Until those bodies are selected, it can choose temporary Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense committees. It also exercises the House Committee’s powers over parliamentary procedure and debates until that committee is established, and can appoint temporary deputy Knesset speakers.