Amid cheers and jeers, 26th Knesset convenes as 120 MKs sworn in at opening ceremony

The 26th Knesset convened for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, with all 120 members sworn in at the opening ceremony in Jerusalem, as Israel entered a new parliamentary era with a majority of lawmakers opposed to now-caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

The opening ceremony began with pomp and circumstance, with trumpets playing as the new Knesset members from various parties poured into the plenum. Outside, several hundred right-wing protesters gathered, railing against the possibility of a government backed by Arab parties, which now hold a record 19 seats.

The new Knesset’s first session was marked by heckling from several lawmakers and walkouts from the plenum, but also cheers for some new lawmakers.

Netanyahu’s bloc now holds just 53 seats, compared to the 67 held by parties opposed to him. His main challenger, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, is two days into his month-long mandate to form a government after receiving the nod to do so from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.

He faces an uphill battle, however, as his core bloc of Zionist, anti-Netanyahu parties has only 48 seats, well short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Just before the Knesset opened, Eisenkot said he was committed to creating a “national emergency government as soon as possible,” without compromising on his principles.

Opening the new Knesset, President Isaac Herzog delivered a lengthy speech aimed at calming down the tensions in Israeli politics and society after last month’s election, while also saying that Israel must investigate the failures that led to the October 7, 2023, Hamas onslaught, and urging “joint responsibility for the duty of service.”

“We must leave no stone unturned, must investigate and must understand how the October 7 disaster occurred, and draw lessons and conclusions,” said Herzog to the plenum.

Netanyahu has long refused to establish a state commission of inquiry into October 7, arguing it would be biased against the government, instead pushing for one appointed by a panel of lawmakers, with its mandate and scope set by politicians.

“This Knesset must address the challenge of those who serve,” Herzog said, turning to the issue of ultra-Orthodox military draft exemptions, saying that “this is the time to find the appropriate solution for a country that is proud of its heritage and in the world of Torah study, but whose challenges require joint responsibility for the duty of service.”

Herzog also advocated for Israel to “build a stable political horizon in the region with our closest neighbors,” calling for additional peace agreements with Arab countries, while emphasizing that “Iran’s evil empire does not stop even for a moment, in its plots and threats, whether directly or through its partners.”

“We must fortify the alliance with our greatest friend – the United States,” Herzog said, adding that it must “strengthen relations with all our allies, defend Israel’s good name, and fight political sanctions to the point of excommunication.”

Herzog also called out “moral stains” in Israeli society, lambasting the spate of violence in Arab cities and by settlers in the West Bank.

“There is no place for violence, not in Arab society, not in the hills of Judea and Samaria, not in the streets of the cities, not in the schools, anywhere. And it must be eradicated with all its might,” he said, using the biblical name for the West Bank.

He then told the assembled lawmakers that they “must do everything possible to avoid another election.”

“Nearly 80 percent of the people went to the polls and elected you. You must do everything to avoid a repeat election,” Herzog added, saying Israelis long for cooperation and respectful dialogue.

He ended his speech by congratulating Netanyahu on entering his record 15th Knesset.

Outgoing Knesset Speaker rails against Arab parties

Next up was erstwhile Knesset Speaker and Likud member Amir Ohana, whose replacement is at the top of the now anti-Netanyahu majority’s agenda, with Eisenkot officially filing a petition signed by a majority of 67 Knesset members to replace him with Yashar MK Matan Kahana just before the Knesset convened. Ohana later said he would respect the petition and convene a vote for his replacement.

In a much sharper speech than Herzog’s, Ohana railed against the Arab-led parties that won big in last month’s vote, slamming them as those who “spread blood libels about our fighters” and call “the Jewish people in their own land invaders.”

Ohana said “great challenges still lie before us,” including Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and Hamas, which he said “has been dealt a devastating blow, but it still exists.”

He added: “It is clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization, whether or not someone pays lip service to that as part of political negotiations,” referring to the Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List, which have refused to explicitly refer to Hamas as such. However, a Tuesday report said that Ra’am chair Mansour Abbas has agreed to do so in exchange for entry into Eisenkot’s coalition.

As Ohana took aim at the Arab parties in Knesset, footage showed Democrats MK Gilad Kariv walking out of the plenum in protest, as right-wing lawmakers applauded.

 

ח״כ גלעד קריב נוטש את המליאה בעקבות הנאום של אוחנה והקריאה לא לשתף פעולה עם המפלגות הערביות pic.twitter.com/VIDXWcrU6t

— עמיאל ירחי (@amiel_y) November 10, 2026

“We didn’t expect anything else from Amir Ohana the Kahanist,” Kariv later said on X, referring to disciples of slain extremist rabbi and politician Meir Kahane. He added that Ohana’s speech was “a tin-eared end to a disgraceful tenure.”

Despite his inflammatory statements, Ohana ended his speech with a call for a unity government, echoing his party boss Netanyahu, who has advocated for the Zionist opposition to join him in government alongside his current far-right and ultra-Orthodox allies.

“The 26th Knesset holds a great opportunity,” Ohana said. “An opportunity to change the course Israeli society is on. An opportunity for unity.”

After his speech, Ohana announced that he would abide by the petition to replace him, saying that the vote to elect the new Knesset Speaker would take place next Tuesday, November 17.

“Despite my strong opposition to the intention of the coalition that is forming, I will act as I promised to respect the will of the majority of Knesset members,” he said.

Far-right heckles as Arab MK swears in

After Ohana’s speech, Knesset Secretary Dan Marzouk officially convened the 26th Knesset, and began swearing in each lawmaker one by one, reading their names in alphabetical order after asking the plenum if they commit to “bear allegiance to the State of Israel and faithfully to discharge my mandate in the Knesset.”

After their names were called, each lawmaker answered: “I commit”

But after Joint List chair Yousef Jabareen was called to respond, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir interjected: “Who’s he committing to, Hamas?”

Jabareen, for his part, did commit to the Knesset pledge.

Amid the ensuing ruckus, Knesset Speaker Ohana called Ben Gvir to order and said anyone who interrupts again would be thrown out with no further warning.

Later, when new Likud MK Elisha Medan stood up to take the oath, the plenum broke out in applause from lawmakers on both sides of the political aisle.

Medan lost both legs fighting in northern Gaza in 2023 and walks on prosthetics.

By coincidence, all four final members to be sworn in to the Knesset are newcomers, three of whom have deep connections to October 7: Yashar’s Shira Shapiro, whose son Aner was killed in the attack; Yisrael Beytenu’s Sharon Sharabi, whose brothers Eli and Yossi were kidnapped from Kibbutz Be’eri, with Yossi killed in captivity; and Yashar MK Noam Tibon, a former general who rushed to Nahal Oz to rescue his son and their family.

Between them was Likud’s Erez Tadmor, founder of the right-wing Im Tirtzu activist group.

After all 120 members were sworn in to the new Knesset, the inaugural session concluded with the singing of Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem. Most MKs from Arab-led parties were absent for the singing of the anthem.

As the choir began singing, Ben Gvir and fellow Otzma Yehudit MK Amichay Eliyahu and other lawmakers started yelling across the aisle, taunting opposition bloc lawmakers over the absence of members of the Joint List and Ra’am, shouting: “Where are your partners?”

Ra’am chairman Abbas was present during the singing of the anthem and, along with Ra’am’s Jewish No. 2 Yoav Segalovitz, appeared to be the only Arab lawmaker from the two parties in the plenum at the time.