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Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Opposition weighs replacing Ohana as Knesset speaker with Lapid — report
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela 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.
Opposition parties are considering using their parliamentary majority in the Knesset to replace Likud MK Amir Ohana as Knesset speaker with B’Yachad party No. 2 Yair Lapid, even before diving into efforts to form a government, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The Zionist opposition bloc, which includes Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar, B’Yachad, Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, and Yair Golan’s The Democrats, holds a parliamentary majority together with the two Arab parties, the Joint List and Ra’am.
The parties are coordinating efforts to take control of the Knesset, even though it could be months before the next government is formed. They have not agreed to govern together, and three of the Jewish-led parties have thrown cold water on the prospect of governing with the Arab parties.
Replacing Ohana with Lapid, who is leader of the opposition, would give them control of the Knesset’s legislative process. That could let them advance the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the failures surrounding the October 7, 2023, attacks and repeal the current government’s judicial overhaul laws.
Other names reportedly under consideration for Knesset Speaker include Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, Yashar MKs Elazar Stern and Orit Farkash-Hacohen, and The Democrats MK Efrat Rayten.
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