by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
JERUSALEM (Worthy News) – Israel’s emerging anti-Netanyahu parliamentary majority has reached an agreement to install Matan Kahana as the next Knesset speaker and appoint former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman to chair the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, marking a significant step toward transferring political power away from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party.
The agreement, announced Tuesday by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, B’Yachad leader Naftali Bennett, Democrats chairman Yair Golan, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, follows days of negotiations over control of key parliamentary positions.
Kahana, a former minister ranked fifth on Eisenkot’s Yashar electoral list, emerged as the compromise candidate after Bennett and Liberman initially supported Lapid for the speakership. Eisenkot, however, insisted that the position remain under his party’s control.
Under the agreement, Liberman will oversee the powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which exercises parliamentary oversight of Israel’s military and national security establishment. Liran Avishar Ben-Horin, a former Communications Ministry director general representing Bennett’s party, will chair the Finance Committee.
The parties expect to finalize committee assignments this week and submit them for parliamentary approval Wednesday.
New Parliament Opens as Netanyahu Faces Loss of Power
The agreement coincides with Tuesday’s swearing-in of Israel’s 26th Knesset, where 120 lawmakers, including 46 first-time members, will take office during a ceremony attended by President Isaac Herzog, Netanyahu, and outgoing Speaker Amir Ohana.
Although Netanyahu remains prime minister, Eisenkot has received the mandate to form the next government after securing the backing of 67 lawmakers, giving his coalition-building efforts a substantial parliamentary advantage.
The emerging majority is already moving to replace Ohana, a close Netanyahu ally, with a vote on the speakership expected within the coming week.
The developments signal a major political realignment in Jerusalem, with Eisenkot’s bloc seeking control of the Knesset’s leadership, defense oversight, and financial policymaking even as negotiations to establish Israel’s next government continue.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
