Members of the Knesset’s House Committee voted to oust MK Yaakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism) from his chairmanship of the Knesset Finance Committee on Monday. The vote was decided by a one-vote margin, with coalition party Shas voting against the coalition-sponsored initiative.
The chairmanship was promised to Avigdor Liberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party in its negotiations with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert over the party's entry into the coalition.
MK Litzman, a member of the opposition, refused to step down in deference to the Kadima-Yisrael Beiteinu agreement. Most members of the Knesset Finance Committee have also refused to vote him out, leaving the coalition agreement between Olmert and Lieberman unfulfilled. In a compromise proposal, Litzman offered to resign in exchange for increased government aid to large families, but his offer was rejected.
In an unusual move, the Kadima-controlled House Committee voted today on the issue of Litzman's Finance Committee chairmanship, "recommending" that the Finance Committee oust its chairman. The Finance Committee membership will be shifted to enable the move, which is to take place later this week.
Yisrael Beiteinu's candidate for the powerful Finance Committee post is freshman Knesset Member Stas Misezhnikov.
Yisrael Beiteinu's candidate for the powerful Finance Committee post is freshman Knesset Member Stas Misezhnikov.
Yisrael Beiteinu's candidate for the powerful Finance Committee post is freshman Knesset Member Stas Misezhnikov. He is currently a member of the committee.
According to Knesset rules, the House Committee is authorized to make recommendations regarding the make-up of the parliamentary committees, as well as the appointment of their chairmen. However, it is not clear if such authority automatically gives the House Committee the power to autonomously vote out an incumbent chairman without a full Knesset vote or in the absence of misconduct.