Netanyahu’s Opponents Agree on Key Knesset Positions

According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, opposition parties challenging Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have reached a consensus on key parliamentary appointments. In a joint statement, they declared their agreement to put forward Matan Kahana, a former minister, for the role of the new Knesset Speaker. Additionally, Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, is slated to chair the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

The agreement, as reported by the Hebrew media outlet The Times of Israel, was forged among Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the National Unity Party (Yahadut Le’an), Lieberman, Naftali Bennett of the “Ach Be’ehad” alliance, Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, and Yair Lapid, the opposition leader. Kahana, who holds the fifth position on Eisenkot’s National Unity electoral list, was selected to lead the Knesset after several days of negotiations.

Under the terms of this arrangement, Liran Avishar Ben-Hurien, a new representative from the “Ach Be’ehad” coalition, will assume leadership of the Knesset’s Finance Committee. The composition of the parliamentary committees is scheduled to be finalized by the end of the week and presented to the Knesset for approval on Wednesday.

This accord comes just ahead of the swearing-in ceremony for members of the 26th Knesset, set for Tuesday. The opposition parties are actively seeking to remove the current Knesset Speaker, Amir Ohana, who represents Netanyahu’s Likud party. Ohana has stated that if a majority of Knesset members formally request the election of a new speaker, he will convene a session to address the matter within one week.

The four-party coalition led by Eisenkot controls 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats. To unseat Ohana, a minimum of 61 votes are required. On Sunday, Israeli President Isaac Herzog officially tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government. Eisenkot received this mandate after securing the support of 67 lawmakers, compared to 46 who backed Netanyahu. Eisenkot has 28 days to assemble a cabinet, with the possibility of extending this deadline by an additional 14 days if necessary.