Roy Folkman to Head Knesset Arrangements Committee as Eisenkot Pursues Mandate

Yashar faction chair Roy Folkman has been appointed to head the Knesset Arrangements Committee, a pivotal role during the interregnum leading up to the formation of a new government. The appointment, decided by party leader Gadi Eisenkot upon receiving the mandate to form a government, grants Folkman extensive influence over parliamentary procedures.

The Arrangements Committee holds broad powers during the transitional period, including the authority to establish temporary panels such as the Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense Committees until permanent bodies are finalized. Folkman, a former faction head for Kulanu, brings prior legislative coordination experience to the 26th Knesset.

Eisenkot officially received the mandate from President Isaac Herzog earlier in the evening, granting him 28 days to build a governing coalition. In his address at the President's Residence, Eisenkot emphasized the vulnerability of Israeli democracy and called for national unity and political compromises.

"We are standing at one of the most fragile moments Israeli democracy has ever known," Eisenkot declared. He noted that a majority of 74 lawmakers, including abstentions, oppose the outgoing government, adding that anyone attempting to derail the formation process for personal reasons will be judged harshly by history.