Israeli Politicsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Archive photoEisenkot’s Yashar Seeks Shas and UTJ Support to Replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana
4 Israeli4 Other3 Western MainstreamPhoto: Shlomo Spitzer (שלמה שפיצר), CC BY 2.5 · Cropped for layout
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Eisenkot's Yashar invites Shas and UTJ to back replacing Knesset Speaker Ohana. UTJ says it will not vote to replace Ohana before government is formed.
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Eisenkot seeks speaker change
Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party invited Shas and United Torah Judaism on Monday to join an opposition effort to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana during the inaugural session of the 26th Knesset on Tuesday. United Torah Judaism party chairman MK Yakov Asher rejected the timing, saying the replacement should take place "simultaneously with the formation of a new government, rather than upon the convening of the Knesset," and The Times of Israel reported that UTJ would not vote to replace Ohana. Replacing Ohana would give the opposition bloc greater control over the parliamentary agenda, including votes, legislation, and committee appointments, even if Benjamin Netanyahu remains in office as head of a caretaker government.
“To replace the Knesset speaker, at least 61 MKs must formally sign a request or vote to elect a new speaker.”
At least 61 MKs must formally sign a request or vote to elect a new speaker, and Ohana had stated last week he would schedule the vote for the following week if a formal request with sufficient support was submitted. UTJ has seven seats and Shas has six, while the two Arab-led parties together control 19 seats and have said they will also vote to replace Ohana.
UTJ conditions and opposition math
United Torah Judaism chairman Yakov Asher tied his refusal to the opposition’s plan to vote out the speaker before a government is formed, and he wrote that the "fundamental position of the United Torah Judaism faction is that the Knesset speaker should be replaced alongside the formation of a new government". The opposition bloc’s numbers left Eisenkot’s mandate short of a 61-seat majority, with the opposition bloc holding 48 seats in the Knesset. Eisenkot called on opposition leaders to form a "national emergency government" and pursue parliamentary measures, including replacing the Knesset speaker immediately after the new Knesset is sworn in.
Party leaders set Monday as the deadline for a decision ahead of the Knesset’s swearing-in, and the opposition bloc had previously drawn a red line against partnering with the haredi parties. Roy Folkman, who chairs Yashar’s Knesset faction, invited UTJ and Shas to join the effort, and Asher opposed holding the vote for the time being while not ruling out replacing Ohana when a new government is formed.
Coalition stakes and draft law
Israel’s president Isaac Herzog formally gave opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form the next government Sunday evening, and the BBC reported that Eisenkot would have 28 days with a potential 14-day extension. Herzog gave Eisenkot the first chance after consultations and Eisenkot and every member of his bloc bar one had previously refused to enter government with Arab parties, while speculation persisted about possible agreements. In parallel, the Washington Post described Eisenkot as seeking to crack coalition math to oust Benjamin Netanyahu and said he reiterated that he would welcome support from every parliamentary faction that accepts his four conditions, including mandatory service for all.
“Eisenkot will now have 28 days to try to form a new administration, with a potential 14-day extension.”
UTJ signaled openness to backing a government outside Netanyahu’s bloc if it secures the status of yeshiva students, and Agudat Yisrael could support such a government. Liberman met with Eisenkot on Monday and UTJ has seven seats and Shas has six, while the speaker’s replacement could allow the opposition to advance legislation that Netanyahu has blocked, including a bill mandating prime ministerial term limits.