Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid appointed MK Karin Elharrar on Wednesday to become chairwoman of the powerful Knesset Arrangements Committee, which runs the Knesset until a government is formed.
The committee is automatically controlled by the party whose leader has the mandate to form the government. Elharrar will replace MK Miki Zohar, who headed the committee during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s mandate.
Zohar used the committee to advance controversial right-wing legislation about unauthorized West Bank outposts, the death penalty for terrorists and direct elections for prime minister. A series of bills advanced on Tuesday will be brought to the Knesset plenum next week after they could not be brought on Wednesday for technical reasons.
By contrast, Elharrar is expected to enable the advancement of bills that could prevent Netanyahu from running again for prime minister. Elharrar served previously as head of the State Comptroller Committee. She vowed to work tirelessly to serve the Israeli public, protect Israel’s democracy and ensure the proper functioning of the Knesset.
“I’ll lead the committee by working with all the factions in the Knesset and with the purpose of helping to form an Israeli unity government,” she said.
Elharrar has a degree from the Washington College of Law at American University. She uses a wheelchair due to having muscular dystrophy, a disease that causes muscular weakness. This has not prevented her from breaking through barriers since getting elected to the Knesset for the first time eight years ago.
Lapid said Israel needs a functioning Knesset that will work to advance unity and fairness toward all the factions in the Knesset with a constant focus on serving the Israeli public.
“MK Elharrar will lead the Arrangements Committee first and foremost as a public servant,” he said. “She knows the parliamentary arena inside out and always has the good of the public as her focus. I’m sure she will do an excellent job.”
Idan Zonshine contributed to this report.