Likud Elects Boaz Bismuth Foreign Affairs, Defense Chair Replacing Edelstein

Likud MK Boaz Bismuth was elected chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, replacing the current chairman Yuli Edelstein after 29 Likud members voted for him against Edelstein’s four. Edelstein’s ousting came due to his refusal to advance a conscription bill agreed upon with ultra-Orthodox parties. Bismuth, a close ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has emphasized the possibility of combining Torah study with military service and framed the conscription issue as a national rather than political matter. Opposition leaders harshly criticized Bismuth’s election, accusing Likud of siding with draft evasion and betraying the Israel Defense Forces and state security. Some opposition figures called it a dark day for Israel and accused Netanyahu of prioritizing political interests over security. Meanwhile, some Likud members expressed support for Bismuth, with one noting the importance of an effective draft law and another rejecting a recent offer of an ambassadorial post to Bismuth in exchange for withdrawing his candidacy.