Eisenkot-led bloc to nominate Matan Kahana as Israeli Knesset speaker, Lieberman to head defense panel

Israeli opposition parties seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government agreed Tuesday to nominate former minister Matan Kahana as the next Knesset speaker and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman as chairman of parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to a joint statement, Anadolu reports.

The Times of Israel news outlet said the agreement was reached by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Lieberman, Naftali Bennett of the Together bloc, Democrats chairman Yair Golan, and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Kahana, who holds the No. 5 spot on Eisenkot’s Yashar list, was chosen following several days of negotiations over who would head the Knesset.

The parties also agreed that incoming Together lawmaker Liran Avishar Ben-Horin will chair the Finance Committee.

The composition of the parliamentary committees is expected to be finalized this week and submitted to the Knesset for approval on Wednesday, according to the statement.

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The agreement came ahead of Tuesday’s swearing-in of Israel’s 26th Knesset.

The opposition parties are seeking to replace incumbent Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana of Netanyahu’s Likud party.

Ohana has said he would schedule a debate on electing his successor within a week if a majority of lawmakers formally request one.

Eisenkot’s four-party bloc holds 48 of the Knesset’s 120 seats, short of the 61 votes needed to replace Ohana.

President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot with forming a government Sunday after he received recommendations from 67 lawmakers compared with 46 for Netanyahu.

Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government, with a possible extension of up to 14 days.

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