Explainer

Replacing a Knesset Committee Chair

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As the Likud party seeks to replace MK Yuli Edelstein as Chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, this Q&A lays out everything you need to know about the role of a Committee Chair, and the the replacement process and history relevant to the current situation.

MK Yuli Edelstein | Photo by Yonatan Sindel/Flash90

Due to disagreements over the draft law, which led to the departure of the ultra-Orthodox factions from the government, it appears that the Likud party is seeking to replace MK Yoel "Yuli" Edelstein as Chair of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Against this backdrop, the discussion has resurfaced regarding the legal mechanism that enables the replacement of a sitting committee chair in the Knesset.

This explainer examines the legal framework for replacing a committee chair, relevant past cases, and their significance in the current political context. It is important to stress that the review focuses solely on the removal of Edelstein from his position as committee chair — not on how such a move would affect the legislative process around the draft law or the High Court of Justice's stance on the matter (though on the face of it, such an effect cannot be ruled out).

How does the role of a committee chair differ from that of a "regular" committee member?

The role of a Knesset committee chair is fundamentally different from that of a regular committee member. The chairperson is responsible for running the committee’s meetings: setting the agenda, summoning government and public representatives, and managing the discussions. Without a committee chair, the committee cannot function — as happened in the previous Knesset when the opposition refused to appoint a chair for the State Control Committee, rendering it entirely inoperative.

What is the mechanism for replacing a chair?

While factions have wide discretion in selecting and replacing their representatives on Knesset committees — including as a form of sanction, since committee seats belong to the faction (i.e., party group) — replacing a committee chair requires a more formal and complex procedure.

The appointment of a committee chair is a personal process carried out in two stages, as outlined in the Knesset Rules of Procedure. First, the Knesset House Committee recommends a specific MK to chair a particular committee. Then, the chair of the House Committee convenes the relevant committee (e.g., Foreign Affairs and Defense) to vote on the appointment in accordance with the recommendation (Rules of Procedure, Section 106(a)(1)).

Similarly, removal of a chair also involves a two-step process:

  1. The House Committee must recommend a new chair.
  2. The chair of the House Committee (not the outgoing chair) convenes the relevant committee to vote on the replacement.

Although the Rules do not explicitly state a removal procedure, this mechanism has been in use since 2007, when it was used to remove then-Finance Committee Chair Yaakov Litzman. The legal validity of this mechanism was upheld when the High Court rejected Litzman’s petition against the process of his dismissal. In other words, it is not sufficient for a party or one of its leaders to decide — replacing a committee chair requires a formal process within the Knesset, grounded in its rules and dependent on majority votes in the relevant committees.

Are Knesset committee chairs often replaced during a Knesset term?

Although it is not uncommon for committee chairs to change during a Knesset term, these changes usually stem from personal reasons (such as retirement from political life) or shifts in government composition. In contrast, replacing a committee chair as a sanction, a punitive measure — for opposing the government’s position or refusing to advance a specific policy — last occurred 18 years ago. This makes it a highly rare mechanism.

In the past, a sitting committee chair has only been removed in two cases:

  • In 2007, MK Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) was removed as Finance Committee Chair because UTJ's integration into the coalition had failed. The chairmanship had been promised during coalition talks to Yisrael Beiteinu, which was part of the government. Accordingly, MK Stas Misezhnikov replaced him.
  • In 1988, MK Michael Reiser (Likud), Chair of the House Committee, was removed after refusing to advance a proposed bill.

Another case in which a committee chair's removal was considered occurred in 2020: MK Yifat Shasha-Biton (Likud), who then chaired the Special Committee on the Coronavirus, voted in committee against the government’s decisions — including against a decision to close gyms — which led to the decisions being overturned. As a result, then-coalition chair MK Miki Zohar sought to impose disciplinary sanctions and remove her from the position. However, the move failed due to lack of support from other coalition partners and an inability to form a majority in the relevant committees.

Instead, under the amended "Big Coronavirus Law," the authority to approve government decisions on COVID-19 matters retroactively was transferred from her committee to four permanent Knesset committees.

A situation has also occurred in which an MK was slated to be appointed to a committee was blocked for ideological reasons. In 2010, when MK Daniel Ben-Simon (Labor) was asked — prior to being appointed Chair of the Immigration and Absorption Committee — to sign a pledge to vote in line with government policy on all issues. He refused, and as a result, the coalition blocked the approval of his appointment in the House Committee.

How do parties choose their candidate for chair?

Each faction can choose its own mechanism for designating its candidate for parliamentary positions, including the chairperson position.

In the case of the Likud faction, there is a preliminary internal procedure that takes place within the faction before the parliamentary mechanism is activated. According to Likud’s bylaws (Section 138(b)), the faction determines who among its members is appointed to senior Knesset roles, including committee chairs. Therefore, in the case of replacing MK Edelstein as Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, this would  involve three steps:

  1. The faction must first decide on a  candidate for the chairmanship position.
  2. The House Committee must officially recommend that candidate.
  3. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee must be convened to vote on approving the appointment.

Will it be possible to remove Edelstein in this case?

In both the House Committee and the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, completing this process requires a majority. As of now, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (excluding the chair) includes 7 coalition MKs, 7 opposition MKs, and 2 MKs from Haredi parties that recently left the coalition (Yinon Azulai from Shas and Yisrael Eichler from United Torah Judaism).
In the House Committee, alongside the Likud chair, there are 7 coalition MKs, 6 opposition MKs, and one Shas MK.

Since the Knesset’s summer recess is expected to begin on Sunday, July 27, 2025, there may be difficulty completing the entire process before the break. However, Knesset committees continue functioning during recess to some extent, so there is no formal obstacle to completing the procedure afterward.

In the current case of Edelstein’s potential removal, it appears a majority could be formed to complete the process — depending on the Haredi parties' decisions.