South African MK Wasserman Lande returning to Knesset

Blue and White MK Hila Shay Vazan joining Sa'ar

BLUE AND White MK Ruth Wasserman Lande. (photo credit: Courtesy)
BLUE AND White MK Ruth Wasserman Lande.
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Cape Town-raised Ruth Wasserman Lande returned to the Knesset on Sunday afternoon, in place of MK Ram Shefa, who resigned on Friday.
On January 8, Wasserman Lande became the first MK raised in South Africa since Revisionist leader Shmuel Katz. She also followed in the footsteps of former foreign minister and MK Abba Eban, who was born in Cape Town and left for England at age three.
But the day after delivering her maiden speech to the parliament three days later, Wasserman Lande left the Knesset due to the Norwegian Law.
The law allows ministers to quit the Knesset and return if they leave their cabinet posts, which is what former Science and Technology Minister Izhar Shay did.
Shefa resigned from the Knesset and his post as Knesset Education Committee chairman in order to run in Monday's Labor primary.
In a Facebook post, Shefa said quitting was the hardest decision among many he has made in recent months but that he hoped to return to the Knesset as part of Labor.
 
Meanwhile, Blue and White MK Hila Shay Vazan announced that she will quit the Knesset on Sunday to run with Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope Party.
She will be replaced in the Knesset by the next name on the combined Blue and White-Yesh Atid list, Anat Knafo of Yesh Atid.
If anyone else on the list quits the Knesset, the next candidate to enter would be North Carolina-born environmentalist Alon Tal.