WorldPosted at: Nov 5 2026 6:23PM


Israel's Opposition moves to replace Knesset Speaker as coalition talks continue

Tel Aviv, Nov 5 (UNI) Israel's opposition parties have stepped up efforts to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, as political manoeuvring intensifies following last week's inconclusive general election.
Ohana, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, said he would convene an early vote on his successor if at least 61 lawmakers formally requested one.
"The customary time to elect a Knesset Speaker is when the government is formed," Ohana said in a statement to leaders of the opposition and Arab parties. However, he added that he would schedule an earlier debate within a week if a parliamentary majority requested it, The Times of Israel reported.
The statement followed demands from Yisrael Beytenu and the Democrats, which called for the election of a new Speaker to be included on the agenda of Tuesday's inaugural session of the 26th Knesset.
The Arab-majority Joint List subsequently announced that it would submit a formal request for an urgent session, while Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party also joined the initiative and began collecting signatures from incoming lawmakers.
The opposition bloc, comprising four Jewish-led parties and Arab factions, holds 67 seats in the 120-member parliament, giving it the numbers to replace Ohana if its members agree on a candidate.
However, divisions have emerged over who should succeed him. Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad party has proposed Yair Lapid, who is also backed by Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman. Yashar, meanwhile, is reportedly seeking the position for one of its own lawmakers, a proposal opposed by other parties.
The dispute comes as President Isaac Herzog conducts consultations with political parties following an election that produced no clear parliamentary majority.
Herzog began the consultation process on Wednesday night and urged party leaders to recognise the limits of their campaign commitments and avoid another election, warning that "not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled".
Three factions aligned with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's religious-nationalist base recommended that he be given a chance to form a coalition, while a fourth, led by a former Netanyahu ally, backed Gadi Eisenkot. Eight more parties, including the two Arab-led factions, are scheduled to meet with the president on Thursday, with Eisenkot's Yashar party and Netanyahu's Likud going last.
Netanyahu's Likud and its far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies secured 53 seats, while Eisenkot's Yashar and three other Jewish opposition parties won 48. Two Arab-led alliances, the United Arab List and the Joint List, together secured 19 seats following increased turnout among Arab voters.
Three factions aligned with Netanyahu's religious-nationalist bloc recommended that he be given the opportunity to form the next government, while another faction backed Eisenkot.
The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party subsequently declined to recommend a candidate during its meeting with Herzog, breaking with Netanyahu's camp.
Meanwhile, Netanyahu has alleged foreign interference in the October 27 election, saying there were serious suspicions that foreign states had spent substantial sums to influence the outcome.
The allegations have been rejected by the Joint List, which has accused authorities of political persecution after one of its lawmakers was accused of accepting foreign money ahead of the vote.
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