New Knesset Finance Committee chair faces conflict-of-interest concern over husband's business ties
Liran Avisar Ben-Horin is married to Itai Ben-Horin, who holds a 50 percent stake in the strategic consulting, public relations, and crisis management firm Ben-Horin Alexandrovitz.
Opposition party leaders have nominated MK Liran Avisar Ben-Horin of the B Yachad party to serve as interim chair of the 26th Knesset Finance Committee. This move has sparked concerns about potential conflicts of interest due to her husband's business ties. Avisar Ben-Horin is married to Itai Ben-Horin, who has a 50 percent stake in Ben-Horin Alexandrovitz, a firm providing communication and public relations services.
This firm advises various prominent Israeli companies, including Mizrahi Tefahot Bank, Cal, Strauss Group, Teva, Altshuler Shaham, Fox Group, Samsung, Ashtrom, SolarEdge, Africa Israel, and the NTA Metropolitan Mass Transit System.
The Finance Committee is responsible for approving budgetary transfers, tax legislation, and promoting economic reforms, which directly impacts these industries. Under Knesset regulations, Knesset members are not bound by conflict-of-interest agreements like those in the public sector. Instead, they must disclose any personal interest during committee discussions. As the designated chair, Avisar Ben-Horin must declare her connection to any clients of her husband's firm.
During her tenure as director-general of the Communications Ministry from 2020 to 2023, Avisar Ben-Horin signed a conflict-of-interest agreement. This agreement required her to submit quarterly lists of her husband's clients and refrain from involvement in decisions that could create conflicts. Additionally, she served as a senior officer at the infrastructure and investment fund Keystone, which holds stakes in Egged transportation, Hot Mobile, power stations, and water desalination plants.
The appointment of Avisar Ben-Horin as Finance Committee chair comes with legal and procedural challenges, considering her family's business relationships and her professional background. The opposition party has defended her appointment, stating that she has acted in accordance with the law and proper governance standards throughout her career.
However, MK Limor Son Har-Melech of the Otzma Yehudit party has submitted a request to Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik for a freeze and review of Avisar Ben-Horin's appointment, citing the inherent conflict of interest stemming from her family's business connections.
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