Knesset Speaker to Be Replaced Next Week Amid Controversy

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announced Tuesday that a vote to elect his successor will be held next Tuesday, following an unusual request from 67 lawmakers. Ohana stated that the request to elect a new speaker before the government is sworn in appears aimed at advancing legislation that would grant significant power to the Attorney General, thereby deepening the imbalance between elected officials and civil servants. Despite his strong opposition to the incoming coalition's intentions, Ohana pledged to honor the majority's will and convene the plenum in a week.

The candidate for speaker from the bloc opposing Prime Minister Netanyahu is MK Matan Kahana of the "Yashar" party. Signatories on the request include members of Knesset from the Ra'am and Joint List parties. Esti Yaniv, mother of brothers Hillel and Yagel Yaniv who were killed in a terrorist attack three years ago, criticized Kahana's reliance on Arab party votes, drawing a parallel to her sons' burial site. "My children received a plot on Mount Herzl because of Arabs. Matan Kahana will receive a plot on Mount Herzl with Arab votes. Choose who you identify with," she wrote.

Bezalel Smotrich, chairman of the Religious Zionism party and Minister of Finance, sharply criticized the move, particularly Kahana's reliance on Arab party signatures. Smotrich called it "illegitimate" and a "moral bankruptcy" to become speaker with the votes of "Israel's enemies." He directly appealed to Kahana not to repeat past mistakes of the "Muslim Brotherhood government" and to refuse the position if it is secured with the support of parties that view Israel's establishment as a disaster and undermine its right to exist.