Gadi Eisenkot and four opposition leaders have agreed on candidates for several senior positions in Israel’s 26th Knesset, a step in their effort to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and form a government.
The agreement involves Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman and Yair Lapid. Eisenkot said the proposed appointments cover key parliamentary roles during the period for forming a government.
Nominees for parliamentary roles
The leaders nominated Matan Kahana, a member of Eisenkot’s Yashar party and a former minister, to become Knesset speaker. Liberman was selected to lead the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
Liran Avisar Ben Horin, an incoming lawmaker from Bennett’s B’Yachad party, was nominated to chair the Finance Committee. If appointed, she would be the first woman to hold that position. Roy Folkman was nominated to head the House Committee. The parties also agreed to establish special committees, with further details to follow.
The agreement came after several days of talks over the speakership. Bennett and Liberman had initially supported Lapid for the role, while Eisenkot sought the post for a member of his own party. Eisenkot and Liberman reportedly reached agreement on the nomination on Monday.
The bloc is seeking to replace incumbent Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. Ohana has said he would schedule a vote on a successor within a week if a majority of lawmakers formally requested one.
Government negotiations continue
Eisenkot received a mandate to form a government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, after lawmakers representing 67 seats recommended him, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. The backing included Arab lawmakers, although most leaders of the Zionist opposition parties have ruled out bringing Arab parties into a government.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a possible two-week extension. The ultra-Orthodox parties, which hold 13 seats and have traditionally allied with Netanyahu, may be important in coalition negotiations. Liberman has called for a compromise with Haredi parties on exemptions from military service for ultra-Orthodox men.
The 26th Knesset was due to be sworn in on Tuesday, following the October 27 election. Netanyahu’s governing bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member legislature; Zionist opposition parties secured 48, while Arab-led parties hold the remaining 19.
Speaking to reporters before being sworn in as a lawmaker, Eisenkot said he was committed to forming a national-emergency government as quickly as possible.
Former adviser’s assessment of Netanyahu
Nir Hefetz, a former adviser to Netanyahu, said in a radio interview that anxiety about losing office was influencing the prime minister’s decisions. Hefetz described what he said was a climate of panic around Netanyahu, but those remarks are his characterization, not an independently established account.
Hefetz also argued that Netanyahu’s call for a national unity government could slow Eisenkot’s attempt to assemble an alternative coalition. He said the ultra-Orthodox parties could be decisive if Arab parties were excluded from coalition arrangements.
Separately, Likud said Netanyahu would seek cabinet approval to appoint Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as interior minister while retaining his current portfolio. The interior ministry post has been vacant since Moshe Arbel resigned in July 2025 amid a coalition dispute over the Haredi draft issue.
