Eisenkot Secures Agreement with Opposition Leaders on Knesset Committee Posts
Former military chief Gadi Eisenkot announced an accord with opposition figures on candidates for key Knesset positions, including Matan Kahana as speaker, as he begins coalition talks.
Former Israeli military chief Gadi Eisenkot said he reached an agreement with opposition leaders Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Lapid on candidates for major posts in the 26th Knesset during the government-formation period. The deal names former minister Matan Kahana as the candidate for Knesset speaker.
Eisenkot, who received the mandate to form a government from President Isaac Herzog on November 8, posted on X, "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."
The agreement also designates Roy Folkman as chair of the house committee, Avigdor Lieberman as chair of the foreign affairs and defense committee, and Liran Avisar Ben-Horrin as chair of the finance committee. Eisenkot said the composition of Knesset committees will be discussed and finalized in the house committee’s deliberations this week, with approval by the Knesset plenum expected next Wednesday. Details on the establishment of special committees will be released later.
Under Section 8 of the Basic Law: The Government, Eisenkot has 28 days to form a coalition, a period that President Herzog may extend by up to 14 days. His bloc holds 48 seats, short of the 61-seat majority, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-led bloc controls 53 seats, making further negotiations essential.