Knesset speaker nominee reveals deep arithmetic problem for opposition bloc

Leaders of the Zionist opposition to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed on Tuesday to nominate Matan Kahana for the position of Knesset speaker. The decision follows days of internal negotiations within the bloc, which currently controls just 48 of the 120 seats in the incoming 26th Knesset. This number is short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority, creating an immediate structural challenge for the group.

The joint statement issued by the party leaders confirmed that Kahana, the fifth-ranked candidate on the Yashar party list, will serve as the nominee. Gadi Eisenkot, who leads Yashar, insisted that the speaker position go to a member of his party. He reached a deal on this point with Avigdor Liberman, leader of Yisrael Beytenu, in a meeting held on Monday. Prior to that agreement, Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid had backed Lapid for the role.

The committee assignments distributed among the opposition leaders further illustrate the bloc's internal compromises. Liberman will chair the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Liran Avisar Ben Horin, a first-time member of the Knesset from B’Yachad, will lead the Finance Committee. She will be the first woman to hold that position. The finalized committee makeup is scheduled for Knesset approval on Wednesday.

The opposition faces a difficult path to power because Arab parties hold the remaining 19 seats. While those parties could provide the mathematical majority needed to form a government, the leaders of all Zionist anti-Netanyahu parties, except Yair Golan, have rejected them as partners. To bridge the gap, Liberman has proposed a compromise with Haredi parties on military service exemptions. This move marks a departure from his long-standing pledge and a core issue in the opposition's election campaign.

The Haredi parties currently control 13 seats. If they join forces with the 48-seat Zionist bloc, the two groups would command a combined 61 seats. This would give the so-called change bloc a majority. The opposition aims to replace the incumbent speaker, Amir Ohana of Likud, as quickly as possible. Ohana has stated he will schedule a session to pick his successor within a week if a majority of lawmakers formally requests it.

Kahana entered the Knesset in 2019 on a right-wing ticket led by Bennett. He later served as religious affairs minister in the government that unseated Netanyahu in 2021. He joined Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party after that government fell but left with Eisenkot in 2025 to form Yashar. The swearing-in of the new Knesset is set for Tuesday, two weeks after the election that ended Netanyahu’s coalition majority.