Liran Avishar Ben-Hurin Named First Female Chair of Knesset Finance Committee
MK Liran Avishar Ben-Hurin has been selected to chair the Knesset Finance Committee, becoming the first woman to lead the influential panel as the change bloc finalized its leadership roles.
MK Liran Avishar Ben-Hurin of the BeYachad party has been selected by the leaders of the change bloc as chair of the Knesset Finance Committee, making history as the first woman to lead the highly influential parliamentary panel. The appointment surprised political circles, as Shaul Meridor of the Yashar party was widely considered the leading candidate for the post. Other candidates included Orit Farkash-Hacohen, Naama Lazimi of The Democrats, Oded Forer of Yisrael Beytenu, and Keren Terner Eyal.
The change bloc finalized its distribution of key Knesset leadership roles for the 26th Knesset. MK Matan Kahana of the Yashar party is slated to serve as Knesset Speaker, while MK Avigdor Lieberman will head the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Avishar Ben-Hurin's new role carries immediate economic significance, as the interim Finance Committee will soon handle budgetary transfers, 2026 budget adjustments, and the rollover of 2025 budget surpluses.
Born and raised in Migdal HaEmek, Avishar Ben-Hurin holds law and management degrees from Tel Aviv University and a master's degree in law from New York University. She previously served as director-general of the Ministry of Communications from May 2020 to March 2023 under ministers Yoaz Hendel, Eitan Ginzburg, and Shlomo Karhi, leading major reforms such as fiber optics deployment and the 5G rollout. Prior to entering politics, she held senior management roles at infrastructure fund Keystone and spearheaded Naftali Bennett's flagship policy planning initiative.
Addressing economic priorities, Avishar Ben-Hurin criticized the previous government's fiscal policies and called for a redirection of state funds to support working and reserve-serving citizens. "We need a major thirty-year structural reform for Israel, reversing the pyramid and putting priorities first," she stated, emphasizing plans to ease the cost of living through targeted housing discounts, daycare subsidies, and utility cost reductions.
