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Israel’s opposition parties are preparing to try to take control of the Knesset by replacing its speaker and advancing legislation aimed at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, local media reported on Sunday.
Neither bloc has secured the 61 seats needed to form a government, according to preliminary results from Tuesday’s parliamentary elections. Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats in the 120-member Knesset, the opposition 48 and Arab parties 19.
The Walla news website, citing unnamed sources, reported that opposition leaders plan a four-way meeting at the home of Yair Lapid, who leads the Yesh Atid party and serves as opposition leader. Gadi Eisenkot of the Yashar party, Avigdor Lieberman of Yisrael Beiteinu and Yair Golan of the Democrats are also expected to attend. The outlet said the aim is to draw up a joint plan for turning the election results into political power inside parliament.
The meeting is set to take place before consultations that begin on Nov. 4 at the residence of President Isaac Herzog. The president uses those consultations to decide who gets the first mandate to try to form a government. Opposition sources told Walla that Eisenkot has decided to accept that mandate if it is offered to him.
Eisenkot has said repeatedly that he will not join a government with Netanyahu, even under a power-sharing deal in which the two would take turns as prime minister.
Walla identified Nov. 10 as another key date, when newly elected lawmakers are due to be sworn in. The opposition intends to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu’s Likud party. Controlling the speaker’s post could give the opposition influence over parliamentary business and a chance to pass legislation during the six weeks before the deadline for forming a government.
Opposition leaders are expected to discuss a consensus candidate for the job. The names under consideration are Eisenkot, Lapid and Oded Forer of Yisrael Beiteinu. Walla said opposition leaders see replacing the speaker as an important first step toward shifting the balance of power while coalition negotiations continue. The plan depends on the parties agreeing on one candidate and securing enough votes to elect that person.
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The opposition also wants to advance a bill creating an official commission of inquiry into the events of Oct. 7, 2023. A second bill would bar anyone facing a criminal indictment from forming a government, even before a conviction.
Netanyahu, 76, is on trial on corruption charges that include bribery, fraud and breach of trust. He could face prison if convicted. The International Criminal Court has also sought him since 2024 on accusations of war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to the war in Gaza.
Netanyahu has led a coalition of far-right parties since late 2022. It has been widely described as the most right-wing government in Israel’s history.
The Israeli army launched a war on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023. According to the figures in the source material, it has killed more than 74,000 people and injured more than 175,000, leaving the enclave in ruins.
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