Israel's opposition moves to oust speaker and take control of parliament

Israel's opposition bloc wants to take control of parliament as well as remove Benjamin Netanyahu from power. Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has moved to oust parliament Speaker Amir Ohana, known as a close ally of Netanyahu, and install a candidate of the opposition's choice.

Anadolu Agency reported the development on Monday (November 9). The Times of Israel had earlier reported that Eisenkot, the likely next prime minister, is also planning to seize control of parliament alongside removing Netanyahu.

Israel's new parliament is due to hold its first session on Tuesday (November 10). The opposition has launched its move to change the speaker before that session.

According to reports, Eisenkot's Yesh Atid party and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party have agreed to nominate a Yesh Atid member as the new speaker. The candidate's name will be finalised after talks with the other parties in the opposition bloc.

Seeking support for the move, Yesh Atid on Monday urged the ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties Shas and United Torah Judaism (UTJ) to join the opposition bloc. UTJ, however, said it would not support changing the speaker before a new government is formed. Its chairman, Yaakov Asher, believes the question of changing the speaker should be raised when the new government is being formed.

According to the Jerusalem Post, Eisenkot's opposition bloc holds 48 seats in the 120-member Knesset, while Arab-led parties hold 19. If the bloc secures the support of those parties, it can win the 61 lawmakers' votes needed to change the speaker.

The current speaker, Amir Ohana, is a member of Netanyahu's Likud party. Removing him would increase the opposition's influence over setting parliament's agenda, passing laws and making appointments to committees. That could further weaken Netanyahu's political position while talks on forming a government continue.

Alongside changing the speaker, the opposition has several other major plans for controlling parliament. These include repealing key judicial reform laws of the Netanyahu government and setting up a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023.

The opposition is also considering a new law to stop a person facing criminal charges from becoming prime minister or running a government. Such a law could politically affect Netanyahu, who is on trial on charges of corruption, fraud and breach of trust. He has not yet been convicted on those charges.

Earlier, on Sunday (November 8), Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally tasked Eisenkot with forming a government. In the election, Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, falling short of the 61 needed to form a government. Eisenkot's opposition bloc won 48 seats. But 67 lawmakers, including support from Arab parties, recommended Eisenkot to the president.

Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government, with the possibility of a further 14 days if needed. But the move to change the speaker before the government-formation process ends has deepened uncertainty over Netanyahu's political future.

Meanwhile, with no new government formed two weeks after the election, Netanyahu still holds vast executive authority as caretaker prime minister. Under Israel's Basic Law, the outgoing government keeps working until a new one is sworn in.

As caretaker, Netanyahu retains powers over running the state, security and foreign relations, but he must use them with restraint. He can make new appointments and security-related decisions. His cabinet can vote to launch a new war, but he cannot start one on his own.

Analyst Ehab Jabareen said Netanyahu has lost the priority of forming the government, but he has not lost the current premiership. His power now lies in the fact that his opponents need an agreement to remove him — and their differences are the reason for his political survival.

Another analyst, Maysara Bahr, warned that Netanyahu could use financial decisions to make the next government's work harder. But he cannot push through new legislation to protect himself from his corruption trial.

In the United Kingdom and India too, caretaker prime ministers enjoy the same legal powers as premiers with electoral mandates. But constitutional conventions require them to avoid major policy decisions — including on questions of war — as caretakers.