Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy announced the formation of the Knesset Ethics Committee on Wednesday evening, despite the opposition’s refusal to participate in establishing it.
The committee will be headed by Yesh Atid MK Yorai Lahav Hertzanu and include Likud MK Gila Gamliel, Shas MK Ya’acov Margi and New Hope MK Zvi Hauser.
Margi refused the appointment to the committee and will be replaced by Joint List MK Osama Saadi.
Levy said having an ethics committee was essential to enable the parliament to function. He blasted the opposition for preventing the committee’s formation until now.
There have been many cases of wrongdoing in the Knesset over the past few months that in the past would have been dealt with by the ethics committee. Likud MKs had said they did not want the committee to be formed because they thought members of their party would be unfairly singled out.