Israeli MKs Receive Six Months' Salary During Four-Month Election Recess Starting July 17

Israeli Members of Knesset (MKs) will enter a four-month election recess beginning July 17, 2026, and will not return to full parliamentary work until mid-November. During this period, MKs continuing into the next term will receive six months' salary totaling 312,000 shekels despite the parliament being largely inactive. The recess will last until November 10, 2026, when the new Knesset is sworn in. Initially, only three temporary committees will operate: the Knesset Committee to manage parliamentary affairs until coalition formation, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for urgent matters, and the Finance Committee for urgent approvals or general discussions. Full committee activity and plenary sessions will resume only by mid to late December with the theoretical establishment of the new coalition.

Meanwhile, 40 to 50 current MKs are expected to retire or lose their seats due to shifts in party dynamics, including declines in Likud and Yesh Atid and the rise of new parties like Democrats. These outgoing MKs will continue receiving salaries totaling 210,000 shekels until the new Knesset convenes. They are also entitled to benefits such as a personal vehicle and assistants during this interim. Additionally, departing MKs will receive an adaptation grant of up to 312,000 shekels, calculated as one monthly salary (approximately 52,000 shekels) for each year served from the second year onward, up to six months. This grant aims to ease their transition to post-parliamentary life, potentially amounting to nearly half a million shekels funded by taxpayers.