Transport Minister Miri Regev Fails to Appear Before Knesset Economic Committee
Ministerial Accountability Under Scrutiny
Transport Minister Miri Regev was scheduled to report to the Knesset Economic Committee this week regarding her ministry’s activities but announced that she would not attend the hearing. As of now, a new date for her appearance has not been set.
As per the Knesset regulations, specifically Section 123(z) of the Knesset Rules, every minister is required to appear at least once a year before the relevant committee to report on their department’s activities. This obligation is typically fulfilled by ministers across all government ministries.
Attempts to schedule Regev’s appearance have been ongoing since October 2023. However, the outbreak of war significantly hampered parliamentary activity at that time. The Knesset resumed full operations in August 2024, and efforts to coordinate with the minister’s offstart were renewed. In total, eight meeting dates have been attempted. start was postpstartd due to the war, another was canceled due to conflict with a government meeting, while a third was delayed at the request of Committee Chairman David Bitan. Five other dates were canceled following notifications from Regev’s offstart stating she would be unavailable.
Other Ministers’ Engagements
In contrast to Regev’s absence, other ministers have participated in both routine and preliminary discussions that are not mandated by the Knesset rules. For example, Energy Minister Eli Cohen recently attended a first-reading discussion on a bill by Knesset member Eitan Ginzburg concerning water corporations. Additionally, Tourism Minister Chaim Katz presented updates on his ministry’s activities to the Economic Committee last November.
The backdrop of these developments includes ongoing tensions between Regev and Bitan, which have been evident during discussions involving representatives from the Transportation Ministry. No comments have been provided by Regev’s offstart regarding this situation.
Conclusion
The lack of attendance by Minister Regev raises concerns about ministerial accountability and transparency in reporting to the Knesset. The committee continues to urge compliance from all ministers to ensure active participation in the legislative process.