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Eisenkot reaches agreement with Opposition leaders on Israel’s Knesset posts, names Matan Kahana as speaker
Gadi Eisenkot said the composition of the Knesset committees would be discussed and finalised during the house committee’s deliberations this week.
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Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot on Tuesday said he had reached an agreement with fellow Opposition leaders - Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Lapid on candidates for key positions in the 26th Knesset during the government formation period, with former minister and Matan Kahana named as the candidate for Knesset speaker.
Eisenkot, who led the campaign to replace outgoing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been given the first chance to form country's next government. President Isaac Herzog formally handed Eisenkot the mandate on November 8, after consultations with representatives of the parties elected to the 120-member Knesset. The October 27 election had left neither Eisenkot’s bloc nor Netanyahu's alliance with enough seats to govern.
“I have reached an agreement with my partners, the leaders of the change and reform parties—Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Lapid—on the prospective candidates for key positions in the 26th Knesset during the period for forming a government,” Eisenkot posted on X.
Eisenkot further said the agreement names Roy Folkman as chair of the house committee, former defense minister and Avigdor Lieberman as chair of the foreign affairs and defense committee, and Liran Avisar Ben-Horrin as chair of the finance committee.
He added the composition of the Knesset committees would be discussed and finalised during the house committee’s deliberations this week before being submitted for approval by the Knesset plenum next Wednesday.
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“The composition of the committees will be discussed and finalized in the House Committee’s deliberations during the week and submitted for approval by the Knesset plenum next Wednesday. In addition, we have agreed on the establishment of the special committees, and details will be published separately at a later date,” he posted.
Eisenkot has 28 days to form a govt
According to Herzog’s office, lawmakers representing 67 seats recommended Eisenkot, while representatives of 46 seats backed Netanyahu. A party from Netanyahu’s camp holding the remaining seven seats did not recommend either candidate. The 67 include the two Arab-led parties.
Under Section 8 of Basic Law: The government, one of the laws that serve as Israel's constitution, Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, and Herzog can extend the period by up to 14 days.
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But securing the mandate does not guarantee that Eisenkot will become prime minister. His four-party bloc, which includes his own Yashar party, the second-largest in the Knesset with 21 seats, has 48 seats. Netanyahu’s Likud won 27, the most of any party, and his wider religious-nationalist bloc has 53. A majority in the 120-member Knesset is 61 seats, making negotiations with parties outside the two main camps crucial.
Eisenkot said on November 8 that he would work to form a “wide” government as quickly as possible, Reuters reported. "We must form a national emergency government. This will require creative and unconventional political steps," he said, according to AFP.
