Coalition pushes through vote on Knesset committees

The opposition protested the coalition giving itself a significant majority on key committees like finance, while giving the opposition more MKs on the Science and Technology committee.

DEFENSE MINISTER Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attend a plenary session in the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 28. (photo credit: OLIVER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
DEFENSE MINISTER Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, Justice Minister Gideon Sa’ar, Transportation Minister Merav Michaeli and Prime Minister Naftali Bennett attend a plenary session in the Knesset in Jerusalem on June 28.
(photo credit: OLIVER FITOUSSI/FLASH90)
The coalition succeeded in passing the makeup of 11 Knesset committees that favor their parties at the expense of the opposition, in a stormy meeting of the Knesset Arrangements Committee on Monday.
Seventeen MKs voted in favor of the proposal and 13 voted against. 
* The Knesset House Committee will be headed by Nir Orbach (Yamina)
 
* The Finance Committee by Alex Kushnir (Yisrael Beytenu)
 
* The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee by Ram Ben Barak (Yesh Atid)
 
* The Economy Committee by Michael Biton (Blue and White) 
 
* The Interior Committee by Sa'eed Alharomi (Ra'am)
 
* The Labor and Social Affairs Committee by Efrat Rayten (Labor)
 
* The Education Committee by Sharren Haskel (New Hope)
 
* The Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee by Yair Golan (Meretz)
The State Control, Women's Advancement and Science and Technology committees will be headed by opposition MKs that have not yet been chosen by their factions. 
The coalition intends to split the Interior Committee and create one new committee in charge of public security that will be chaired by Merav Ben-Ari (Yesh Atid) and another in charge of religious affairs that will be chaired by Yulia Malinovsky (Yisrael Beytenu).
A new health committee will split off from the Labor and Social Affairs Committee and will be chaired by coalition chairwoman Idit Silman (Yamina).
The opposition protested the coalition giving itself a significant majority on key committees like finance, while giving the opposition more MKs on the Science and Technology and Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs committees. The committee's legal adviser, Arbel Asterhan said she would not propose such a proposal.
Tones rose repeatedly in the meeting. United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush compared Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) to Hamas. UTJ MK Yaakov Asher said he would prefer if religious services be handled by Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas.
"It would shame you for generations if you form a committee on religious services controlled by Liberman," Asher said. "At least Abbas is religious and has sensitivity. You are committing an unforgivable sin."