Israel’s Opposition Picks Matan Kahana for Knesset Speaker in Bid to Take Control of Parliament

Israel’s opposition bloc on Tuesday chose former minister Matan Kahana as its candidate for Knesset speaker, in a bid to take control of parliament from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s allies while it tries to form a government.

Kahana, a member of Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, would replace Amir Ohana of Netanyahu’s Likud party. The speaker sets the Knesset’s agenda, deciding which bills come to a vote and how committees are run. The announcement came hours before the 26th Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday afternoon, with 46 of its 120 members serving for the first time.

Yashar said 67 lawmakers had signed a formal request to remove Ohana and nominate Kahana. The bloc had already gathered the 61 signatures needed to start the process, and a vote is expected next week. Ohana has said he will not hold a vote on the day of the inaugural session but will schedule one within the following week if a valid request is submitted.

Other posts in the bloc’s plan

Party leaders in the bloc also agreed on other posts. Avigdor Liberman, a former defense minister, is to chair the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which oversees security and military budgets and handles legislation on military conscription. Liran Avisar Ben-Horin of Naftali Bennett’s party is to head the Finance Committee, and would be the first woman to hold the post. Yashar lawmaker Roy Folkman is to lead the Arrangements Committee, which organizes the Knesset’s work at the start of a term.

Kahana was religious services minister from 2021 to 2022 and left the Knesset in July 2025. He is a reserve colonel who served in the Sayeret Matkal special forces unit and later flew F-16 fighter jets. Eisenkot, a former military chief, received the mandate to form a government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday. He has 28 days, with a possible extension of up to 14 days. Netanyahu remains prime minister of a caretaker government until a new coalition is sworn in.

A tense swearing-in ceremony

The swearing-in ceremony was marked by confrontations. Netanyahu warned that Iran was seeking to rebuild its nuclear program and called on lawmakers to set aside their differences and form a national unity government. Bennett interrupted Netanyahu’s speech to demand an investigation into the October 7 attacks, and Netanyahu’s criticism of the Arab political parties led Democrats chairman Yair Golan and several Arab lawmakers to leave the chamber. President Isaac Herzog urged the new parliament to avoid another election and to address the dispute over military conscription. Ohana warned that Hamas remained a threat despite suffering severe losses and urged political cooperation on national security.

Herzog had earlier called for a comprehensive investigation into the October 7 massacre. The new parliament now faces the task of choosing a speaker and forming a government within the deadlines set by law.

Reporting based on coverage by The Insight International and Europe Says.