Knesset set for pivotal week as Eisenkot bloc seeks to replace speaker, advance judicial legislation

By Ariela Karmel

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

Today, 9:57 am

Edit

Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot leads the party’s first faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, November 10, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The Knesset is gearing up for a consequential week, with the bloc led by Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot preparing to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana and begin repealing key pieces of the previous government’s judicial overhaul legislation.

Meanwhile, negotiating teams from Yashar and Likud are expected to meet today to discuss a potential unity government, as Netanyahu steps up his appeals to Eisenkot after losing his parliamentary majority in last month’s election.

Eisenkot has reportedly insisted on serving as prime minister, while Netanyahu yesterday dropped his demand to lead a rotation government for the first time. The Yashar leader dismissed the appeal as “more spin,” noting that talks had already been scheduled, in an acrimonious exchange that underscored the deep divisions between the two leaders.

Tomorrow, Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman and B’Yachad MK Liran Avisar Ben Horin are set to officially assume their posts as chairs of the powerful Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and Finance Committee, respectively, and on Tuesday, lawmakers will vote on replacing Ohana with Yashar MK Matan Kahana.

Netanyahu is pressing the Haredi United Torah Judaism party to oppose the appointment, while Eisenkot is courting their support for a future government in parallel to their talks with Likud, after Liberman ruled out joining a coalition reliant on Arab parties.

UTJ has yet to commit to either side, with its position on the speakership potentially serving as a bargaining chip in coalition talks, where military exemptions for yeshiva students remain a key obstacle. The Eisenkot-led bloc has enough votes to elect Kahana with the support of the Arab parties, but backing from UTJ could allow some Joint List and Ra’am lawmakers to abstain.

If the Eisenkot bloc succeeds in replacing Ohana, it will begin advancing legislation as early as Wednesday to repeal the previous government’s judicial overhaul, including the law weakening the attorney general’s power and the law changing the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee.