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Opposition Bloc Seeks to Oust Knesset Speaker Ohana, Proposes Kahana
On Tuesday, November 10, 2026, leaders of the opposition bloc working to form a new government agreed to nominate Matan Kahana as the next Speaker of the Knesset. Gadi Eisenkot, who recently received a mandate from President Isaac Herzog to form a government, claimed the position for his party. The 54-year-old Kahana, a former Minister of Religious Services and a 25-year veteran of the Israel Defense Forces, is slated to succeed Amir Ohana of the Likud party.
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What happened
- 01Opposition leaders agreed on Tuesday to nominate Matan Kahana as the candidate for the 26th Knesset Speaker.
- 02Gadi Eisenkot's faction submitted signatures from over 61 MKs to force a vote to replace current Speaker Amir Ohana.
- 03The required majority of signatures was achieved through cooperation with Arab factions and the Yisrael Beiteinu party.
- 04United Torah Judaism refused to sign the demand, stating they would only support a change upon government formation.
- 05Avigdor Lieberman is slated to chair the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee under the new agreements.
- 06Roee Volkman and Liran Avishar Ben-Horin were assigned to lead the Arrangements and Finance Committees, respectively.
- 07The Knesset plenum is expected to vote on the committee compositions on Wednesday.
To force a vote on the position, Eisenkot's faction submitted a formal demand to Ohana backed by signatures from over 61 Members of Knesset. This majority was achieved through cooperation with Arab factions and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, after United Torah Judaism refused to sign the letter. Ohana had previously stated he would not advance a vote on the Speaker's identity without an explicit request from 61 MKs.
The agreement on Kahana's nomination was reached among bloc leaders Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Lieberman. The leaders also agreed on key committee assignments ahead of a planned Knesset plenum vote on Wednesday. Under the agreed framework, Lieberman will chair the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Roee Volkman will lead the Arrangements Committee, and Liran Avishar Ben-Horin will head the Finance Committee.
Summarized by baba from the reports of 4 newsrooms. Updated
Latest report: JDN. Read JDN’s originalThe coverage
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