The 120 members of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, take their official oaths in a ceremony beginning at 14:20 local time, as negotiations continue to form a new government following the October 27 elections.
Talks center on establishing an alternative majority to replace Benjamin Netanyahu. Discussions involve potential openings for ultra-Orthodox parties and the selection of the future parliament speaker.
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Yashar and the person tasked by President Isaac Herzog with forming a government, reached an agreement with Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman on Monday. Under the deal, the next Knesset speaker is expected to come from Eisenkot’s party, with Eisenkot himself potentially taking the post directly from outgoing speaker Amir Ohana of Likud.
The agreement marks a strategic step forward for the bloc seeking to oust Netanyahu. The coalition aims to secure control of parliamentary proceedings to advance new legislation and repeal measures passed by the outgoing government.
Liberman asked Eisenkot to rule out a minority government backed by Arab parties and assured that he would attempt to bring ultra-Orthodox factions into the coalition. “I will bring them,” Liberman reportedly said of the haredi parties, according to various media outlets. Liberman maintained that Netanyahu fears such a majority, which could potentially last an entire legislative term.
The Yisrael Beytenu leader also dismissed any personal ambitions to lead the government, naming Eisenkot as his choice for future prime minister. Meanwhile, Together leader Naftali Bennett maintained a cautious stance, meeting with Eisenkot after the mandate was assigned without issuing public statements.
Lawmakers from Bennett’s party expressed concern that the ongoing negotiations might compromise their electoral commitment to halt public funding for individuals who do not perform military or civil service. A decisive role in the talks could belong to United Torah Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox party that refrained from endorsing any candidate for prime minister during consultations with Herzog.
The ultra-Orthodox daily newspaper Hamodia, which is close to the Gur Hasidic movement, clarified that any party entry into the government will depend on concrete guarantees regarding the protection of yeshiva students and the continuity of religious studies. In an editorial, the newspaper stated that the party can no longer rely on written and signed commitments, which proved ineffective in the past, and now requires “adequate guarantees” to ensure implementation.
The publication also denounced what it described as a persecution of the ultra-Orthodox community, acknowledging that the party faces a difficult dilemma regarding its traditional alliance with Netanyahu’s political block. Central among the faction’s demands is a new military draft law that protects exemptions for religious students and withstands challenges from the Supreme Court.
