Opposition Bloc Agrees on Matan Kahana as Knesset Speaker Nominee
Zionist opposition parties have reached a consensus to nominate Matan Kahana for the role of Knesset speaker, aiming to replace the incumbent before the new parliament is sworn in.
By Amir Navarro ·
Leaders of the Zionist opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Tuesday that they will nominate former minister Matan Kahana for the position of Knesset speaker. This decision follows several days of negotiations among the various parties in the bloc. The joint statement confirmed that Kahana, who ranks fifth on the list for Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, will be the unified candidate for the role.
In addition to the speaker nomination, the coalition leaders outlined the distribution of key committee chairs. Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu, has been selected to lead the influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Liran Avisar Ben Horin, an incoming member of the Knesset for the B’Yachad party and former director general of the Communications Ministry, will chair the Finance Committee. She will be the first woman to hold that position.
The finalized committee structure is scheduled to be submitted for Knesset approval on Wednesday. The parties stated that they have also reached agreements regarding special committees, with further details to be released in the coming days. The announcement comes as the 26th Knesset prepares to be sworn in on Tuesday, just two weeks after an election in which Netanyahu’s coalition lost its parliamentary majority.
Negotiations over the speaker position involved significant internal debate. Yair Golan of the Democrats, Avigdor Liberman, Naftali Bennett of B’Yachad, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid had initially supported Lapid for the role. However, Eisenkot insisted that the position should go to a member of his Yashar party. According to Hebrew media reports, Eisenkot and Liberman reached a final agreement on this matter during a meeting on Monday.
Kahana first entered the Knesset in 2019 on a right-wing ticket led by Bennett. He later served as the minister of religious affairs in the government led by Bennett and Lapid, which removed Netanyahu from power during the 2021-2022 term. After that government collapsed, Kahana joined Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party. In 2025, he left the centrist party along with Eisenkot to establish the Yashar party.
The opposition bloc is moving quickly to replace the current speaker, Amir Ohana of the Likud party. Ohana has stated that he will schedule a session to select his successor within a week if a majority of lawmakers formally requests it. The Zionist anti-Netanyahu parties currently hold 48 seats in the incoming 120-seat Knesset, while parties in Netanyahu’s governing coalition hold 53 seats. The remaining 19 seats are controlled by Arab parties, whom most Zionist opposition leaders, excluding Golan, have declined as government partners.
In an effort to secure a majority, Liberman has proposed a compromise with the Haredi parties regarding the exemption of ultra-Orthodox men from military service. This move marks a departure from his long-standing pledge and a central point in the opposition’s election platform. The Haredi parties, who have been part of Netanyahu’s coalition, hold 13 seats, which would be sufficient to grant the opposition a majority if they join forces with the Zionist bloc.
Meanwhile, the Likud party announced that Netanyahu will bring a motion to the cabinet for approval on Monday to appoint Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar as the interior minister in addition to his current duties. The position was initially offered to Likud faction chair Ofir Katz, who declined in order to focus on coordinating the right-wing bloc’s activities in the Knesset. Sa’ar previously served as interior minister in Netanyahu’s 2013-2014 government, which also included Liberman, Lapid, and Bennett in key roles.
The position of interior minister has been vacant since July 2025, when Moshe Arbel of the Shas party resigned amid a coalition dispute over the Haredi draft issue. Netanyahu assumed some of the responsibilities during that time. Following pressure from the High Court of Justice to fill the vacancy, Netanyahu agreed in August to appoint a new interior minister.
