Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee

File:Knesset Foreign Affairs & Security Comm1949.jpg Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, 1949]]

The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee ({{langx|he|ועדת חוץ וביטחון}}) is a permanent Knesset committee which oversees key Foreign and Defense issues of the State of Israel, including the drafting of legislation, supervision over related government ministries and the approval of their budgets. It is regarded as one of two most important Knesset committees (the other being the Finance Committee).

Activity

The majority of the committee's activity takes place in its subcommittees, while the committee as a whole largely serves as a media stage for top defense decision makers. The committee approves extensive subcommittee-drafted delegated legislation in areas of defense, emergency preparedness, emergency recruitment of human resources, Shabak special operations, allocation of emergency equipment, the deployment of the Home Front, and other security and intelligence related tasks. The committee is presented with summaries by the top decision makers in areas of foreign affairs, defense, and intelligence, including by the Prime Minister, the Foreign Affairs Minister, the Minister of Defense, and the heads of Mossad, Shabak, and Aman. The committee's chair, who reports on much of the country's defense activities, is considered one of the most senior figures in the Security Forces and subsequently, it is one of the most sought after positions in the Knesset. The committee's plenary sessions are secret and the meetings of some of its subcommittees are top secret. Consequently, its protocols remain largely unpublished. After repeated instances in which the contents of meetings were leaked, its members became obliged to sign a secrecy affidavit. The media has limited access to committee meetings (at selected occasions) and no access to that of its subcommittees. The government is obligated to bring to the approval of the committee various emergency activities, including ones related to or that are likely to result in war. The committee also undertakes personal hearings for key defense and State decision makers as well as hearings for appreciable defense projects.{{Citation needed|date=October 2024}}

During 2020, the Committee took an active role in shaping the legal framework authorizing Shabak to engage in location tracking of coronavirus carriers.{{Cite journal|last=Cahane|first=Amir|date=2020-11-30|title=Israel's SIGINT Oversight Ecosystem: COVID-19 Secret Service Location Tracking as a Test Case|url=https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3748401|journal=University of New Hampshire Law Review|language=en|volume=|pages=|ssrn=3748401 |via=SSRN}} Eventually, the committee drafted "the Law on Authorization to Assist in the National Effort to Reduce the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus and to Promote the Use of Civilian Technology to Trace Those Who Have Been in Close Contact with Patients (Temporary Order), 5780-2020", which was enacted by the Knesset on July 21, 2020."[https://main.knesset.gov.il/EN/News/PressReleases/Pages/press21720y.aspx Knesset passes bill authorizing Shin Bet to assist Health Ministry in epidemiological investigations until January 20, 2021]" Knesset News (July 21,2020) Under its provisions, the committee may veto a government declaration to use Shabak for coronavirus contact tracing.[https://www.nevo.co.il/law_word/law14/law-2816.pdf Law on Authorization to Assist in the National Effort to Reduce the Spread of the Novel Coronavirus and to Promote the Use of Civilian Technology to Trace Those Who Have Been in Close Contact with Patients] (Temporary Order), 5780-2020, Section 3A (July 1, 2020)

Chairmen

{{Officeholder table start

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|image_title=Portrait

|officeholder_title=Chairman

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{{Officeholder table

|image=Meir Argov.jpeg

|officeholder=Meir Argov

|officeholder_sort=Argov, Meir

|born_year=1905

|died_year=1963

|term_start=1949

|term_end=1963

|party=Mapai

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Hacohen david.jpeg

|officeholder=David Hacohen

|officeholder_sort=Hacohen, David

|born_year=1898

|died_year=1984

|term_start=1963

|term_end=1969

|party=Alignment (Israel)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Haim Yosef Zadok.jpg

|officeholder=Haim Yosef Zadok

|officeholder_sort=Zadok, Haim Yosef

|born_year=1913

|died_year=2002

|term_start=1969

|term_end=1974

|party=Alignment (Israel)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Yitzhak Navon 1.jpg

|officeholder=Yitzhak Navon

|officeholder_sort=Navon, Yitzhak

|born_year=1921

|died_year=2015

|term_start=1974

|term_end=1977

|party=Alignment (Israel)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Moshe Arens.jpg

|officeholder=Moshe Arens

|officeholder_sort=Arens, Moshe

|born_year=1925

|died_year=2019

|term_start=1977

|term_end=1982

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Eliyahu Ben-Elissar (1980).jpg

|officeholder=Eliyahu Ben-Elissar

|officeholder_sort=Ben-Elissar, Eliyahu

|born_year=1932

|died_year=2000

|term_start=1982

|term_end=1984

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Abba Eban 1970.jpg

|officeholder=Abba Eban

|officeholder_sort=Eban, Abba

|born_year=1915

|died_year=2002

|term_start=1984

|term_end=1988

|party=Alignment (Israel)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Eliyahu Ben-Elissar (1980).jpg

|officeholder=Eliyahu Ben-Elissar

|officeholder_sort=Ben-Elissar, Eliyahu

|born_year=1932

|died_year=2000

|term_start=1989

|term_end=1992

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Ori or.JPG

|officeholder=Ori Orr

|officeholder_sort=Orr, Ori

|born_year=1939

|died_year=

|term_start=1992

|term_end=1995

|party=Israeli Labor Party

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Hagai Meirom (00320533).jpg

|officeholder=Hagai Meirom

|officeholder_sort=Merom, Hagai

|born_year=1946

|died_year=

|term_start=1995

|term_end=1996

|party=Israeli Labor Party

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Uzi Landau 001.jpg

|officeholder=Uzi Landau

|officeholder_sort=Landau, Uzi

|born_year=1943

|died_year=

|term_start=1996

|term_end=1999

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Reuven Rivlin receives the report of the Public Committee to Examine the Elections Law, November 2017 (7373) (cropped).jpg

|officeholder=Dan Meridor

|officeholder_sort=Meridor, Dan

|born_year=1947

|died_year=

|term_start=1999

|term_end=2001

|party=Center Party (Israel)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=David Magen (00320688).jpg

|officeholder=David Magen

|officeholder_sort=Magen, David

|born_year=1945

|died_year=

|term_start=2001

|term_end=2002

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Chaim Ramon (IH002108781006).jpg

|officeholder=Haim Ramon

|officeholder_sort=Ramon, Haim

|born_year=1950

|died_year=

|term_start=2002

|term_end=2003

|party=Israeli Labor Party

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=יובל שטייניץ.jpg

|officeholder=Yuval Steinitz

|officeholder_sort=Steinitz, Yuval

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2003

|term_end=2006

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Tzachi Hanegbi. Photo by Haim Zach - GPO.jpg

|officeholder=Tzachi Hanegbi

|officeholder_sort=Hanegbi, Tzachi

|born_year=1957

|died_year=

|term_start=2006

|term_end=2010

|party=Kadima

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Secretary Clinton Meets With Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Mofaz (7414559360) (cropped).jpg

|officeholder=Shaul Mofaz

|officeholder_sort=Mofaz, Shaul

|born_year=1948

|died_year=

|term_start=2010

|term_end=2012

|party=Kadima

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Zucky Crystal exhibition for the memory of Hanna Zemer רוני בר-און (8357798080) (cropped).jpg

|officeholder=Roni Bar-On

|officeholder_sort=Bar-On, ROni

|born_year=1948

|died_year=

|term_start=2012

|term_end=2013

|party=Kadima

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Avigdor Lieberman 2017.jpg

|officeholder=Avigdor Lieberman

|officeholder_sort=Lieberman, Avigdor

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2013

|term_end=2013

|party=Yisrael Beiteinu

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=יולי אדלשטיין - תמונת פרופיל.jpg

|officeholder=Yuli Edelstein

|officeholder_sort=Edelstein, Yuli

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2013

|term_end=2014

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=זאב אלקין (cropped).png

|officeholder=Ze'ev Elkin

|officeholder_sort=Elkin, Ze'ev

|born_year=1971

|died_year=

|term_start=2014

|term_end=2015

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Yariv Levin (cropped).JPG

|officeholder=Yariv Levin

|officeholder_sort=Levin, Yariv

|born_year=1969

|died_year=

|term_start=2015

|term_end=2015

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Tzachi Hanegbi. Photo by Haim Zach - GPO.jpg

|officeholder=Tzachi Hanegbi

|officeholder_sort=Hanegbi, Tzachi

|born_year=1957

|died_year=

|term_start=2015

|term_end=2016

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Dichter.jpg

|officeholder=Avi Dichter

|officeholder_sort=Dichter, Avi

|born_year=1952

|died_year=

|term_start=2016

|term_end=2019

|party=Likud

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Secretary Pompeo Meets With Foreign Minister-Designate Gabi Ashkenazi (49889664393) (cropped) (cropped).jpg

|officeholder=Gabi Ashkenazi

|officeholder_sort=Ashkenazi, Gabi

|born_year=1954

|died_year=

|term_start=2019

|term_end=2020

|party=Blue and White (political alliance)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=צבי האוזר - חוסן לישראל.jpg

|officeholder=Zvi Hauser

|officeholder_sort=Hauser, Zvi

|born_year=1968

|died_year=

|term_start=2020

|term_end=2021

|party=Derekh Eretz (political faction)

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Orna Barbivai.jpg

|officeholder=Orna Barbivai

|officeholder_sort=Barbivai, Orna

|born_year=1962

|died_year=

|term_start=2021

|term_end=2021

|party=Yesh Atid

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=Ram Ben-Barak (cropped).jpg

|officeholder=Ram Ben-Barak

|officeholder_sort=Ben-Barak, Ram

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2021

|term_end=2022

|party=Yesh Atid

|ref=

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=יואב גלנט - כנס שדרות לחברה במכללה האקדמית ספיר-2 (cropped).JPG

|officeholder=Yoav Gallant

|officeholder_sort=Gallant, Yoav

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2022

|term_end=2022

|party=Likud

|ref={{Cite web |title=Yoav Gallant appointed new Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chief |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/article-722976 |access-date=2022-11-26 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US |date=2022-11-21}}

}}

{{Officeholder table

|image=יולי אדלשטיין - תמונת פרופיל.jpg

|officeholder=Yuli Edelstein

|officeholder_sort=Edelstein, Yuli

|born_year=1958

|died_year=

|term_start=2023

|party=Likud

|ref={{Cite web |last=Ravid |first=Barak |date=2023-03-21 |title=U.S. slams new West Bank law, says it's a violation of Israeli commitments |url=https://www.axios.com/2023/03/21/biden-israeli-law-repeal-northern-west-bank |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=Axios |language=en}}

}}

Subcommittees

Subcommittee for Legislation
Subcommittee for Foreign Affairs and Public Diplomacy
Subcommittee for Intelligence and Secret Services
Subcommittee for Personnel in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF)

Subcommittee for Security Perception
Subcommittee for the State of Alert and Field Security
Subcommittee for the Examination of Home-Front Readiness
Subcommittee on Lawfare

Overseen bodies

The Prime Minister's Office, including Mossad and Shabak
The Ministry of Defense, including the IDF, the Malmab (Ministry's security arm), and the military industries and development bodies

The Foreign Ministry
The National Security Council
The Ministry of Public Security and the Police (on security matters)

References

External links

[https://www.knesset.gov.il/committees/eng/committee_eng.asp?c_id=4 Official site]

Category:Legislative branch of Israel

Category:Israeli Security Forces

Category:Foreign relations of Israel

Category:Israel Defense Forces

Category:Committees of the Knesset