Israeli Politicsupdated 15m ago3 min read
Eisenkot Bloc Agrees Matan Kahana as Knesset Speaker, Avigdor Lieberman to Chair Defense Committee
16outlets comparedWhere the coverage agrees
5 Israeli4 Asian3 Other4 Other source typesThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Eisenkot-led bloc nominates Matan Kahana as next Knesset speaker. Avigdor Liberman to chair the Defense Committee.
Save coverage image
16 outlets in this story. Read their headlines below.
Outlets did split on Gadi Eisenkot Demands Answers After Trump Says Washington Will Stop Military Aid →
Knesset posts agreed
Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc agreed to nominate Matan Kahana as the next Knesset speaker and to have Avigdor Lieberman head the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee ahead of the swearing-in of Israel’s 26th Knesset. The Times of Israel said the agreement was reached by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Lieberman, Naftali Bennett of the Together bloc, Democrats chairman Yair Golan, and opposition leader Yair Lapid. The agreement also set Liran Avishar Ben-Horin to chair the Finance Committee, and it placed incoming Together lawmaker Liran Avishar Ben-Horin in that role as the committees were expected to be finalized this week and submitted for Knesset approval on Wednesday.
The opposition bloc sought to replace incumbent Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana of Netanyahu’s Likud, and the bloc’s seat math left Eisenkot’s four-party bloc with 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, short of the 61 votes needed to replace Ohana. President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot with forming a government after he received recommendations from 67 lawmakers compared with 46 for Netanyahu, and Eisenkot was granted 28 days to form a government with a possible extension of up to 14 days.
Eisenkot’s X post
Gadi Eisenkot announced the deal in a post on X, and he said, "I have reached an agreement with my partners, the leaders of the change and reform parties--Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Lapid--on the prospective candidates for key positions in the 26th Knesset during the period for forming a government." Eisenkot’s announcement named former minister Matan Kahana as the Speaker of the Knesset and set Roy Folkman to chair the House/Arrangements Committee. Eisenkot also said the composition of the Knesset committees would be discussed and finalized during the House Committee’s deliberations this week before being submitted for approval by the Knesset plenum next Wednesday.
The Jerusalem Post said the opposition bloc’s dispute over the speakership centered on who would hold the role that would give the bloc greater control over the legislative agenda in the period before a government is formed. The Jerusalem Post reported that Ohana said he would not hold a vote to replace the Knesset speaker on the day of the inaugural ceremony, but instead would schedule it for the following week if a formal request with sufficient support was submitted.
Legislative offensive ahead
Haaretz described the Eisenkot-led bloc as seeking to exert control of parliament even before a new government is formed. Haaretz reported that Avigdor Lieberman wrote on X that its first steps should be to replace the Knesset speaker, appoint a state comptroller, pass legislation limiting the prime minister to two terms in office and then repeal the laws of the judicial overhaul championed by the Netanyahu coalition. The Times of Israel said the announcement came ahead of the 26th Knesset’s swearing-in ceremony and followed days of negotiations over which party would control the speakership.
The Times of Israel also said the change bloc was seeking to replace incumbent Speaker Amir Ohana as soon as possible, and it noted that Ohana said he would schedule a debate on electing his successor within a week if a majority of lawmakers formally request one. The Anadolu Ajansı report said Eisenkot’s bloc holds 48 seats and that the opposition parties were seeking to replace Ohana, while Herzog’s mandate to Eisenkot came after recommendations from 67 lawmakers compared with 46 for Netanyahu.