Former Israeli Interior Minister Moshe Arbel Set to Receive Lucrative Salary as Mehadrin Chairman

Moshe Arbel, the former Israeli Interior Minister who retired from politics in May 2023, is slated to become chairman of Mehadrin, a major agricultural and real estate company. His compensation package for an 80% position is expected to cost the company up to 3.4 million shekels annually, pending shareholder approval in mid-September. Arbel’s base salary will be 100,000 shekels gross per month, more than double his previous parliamentary salary of 49,000 shekels and significantly higher than the 55,000 shekels he earned as a minister before resigning in July 2022.

The total remuneration includes 1.7 million shekels in salary, an annual performance bonus of up to 900,000 shekels (equivalent to nine monthly salaries), and equity compensation valued at approximately 750,000 shekels per year. The equity bonus consists of 45,000 stock options valued at 3 million shekels, exercisable only if the share price rises above current levels. Additional severance bonuses of 300,000 to 600,000 shekels are stipulated depending on the length of tenure.

Arbel served as a Shas party member of the Knesset since 2019 and held ministerial roles in health and interior before resigning to focus on family, Torah study, and academics. Shortly after his resignation, he was appointed chairman of Mehadrin, which is controlled by the Delek Group (61.4%). Mehadrin operates in agriculture, fruit packaging and marketing, cold storage, and water supply, and is expanding into real estate and urban renewal following Delek’s reacquisition of control at a valuation of 560 million shekels, now increased to a market value of 961 million shekels.