Eisenkot unveils key Knesset members, to form emergency govt

Jerusalem: Gadi Eisenkot, who officially received the mandate to form Israel’s next government, has unveiled key positions in the 26th Knesset.

Eisenkot announced on Tuesday, November 10, that he had reached an agreement with Israeli opposition leaders Naftali Bennett, Yair Golan, Avigdor Liberman and Yair Lapid, regarding top cabinet seats in the Israeli parliament.

Former Minister Matan Kahana, from Eisenkot’s Yashar Party, was nominated as the next Knesset speaker. A former Israeli military colonel, Kahana was the minister of Religious Services from 2021 to 2022 until he resigned his seat in 2025.

Roi Folkman will be taking the Chair of the Knesset’s Arrangements Committee, Eisenkot said. The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee chairmanship was assigned to former Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, while the Finance Committee went to Liran Avisar Ben-Horin.

The composition of the committees will be discussed and finalised within the framework of the Arrangements Committee’s deliberations this week, Eisenkot said. It will be submitted to the Knesset Plenum, the general assembly, for approval on Wednesday, November 11.

He added that the parties agreed on establishing special committees, details of which will be released separately later.

Eisenkot calls for establishing national emergency govt

Leader of the Opposition Yair Lapid confirmed his meeting with Eisenkot, stating they discussed coordinating efforts for the 26th Knesset and forming a national emergency government “as soon as possible.”

Eisenkot was tasked with forming the next government by Israeli President Isaac Herzog, after he received recommendations from 67 members of the Knesset.

Following Herzog’s announcement, Eisenkot called for the establishment of a national emergency government. “Now is the time to form a national emergency government. I will do everything to ensure we are worthy of the trust placed in us,” he said in a post on X.

Under Israel’s Basic Law, Eisenkot will have 28 days to form a government after receiving the mandate. Herzog may grant him an additional 14 days.

Get the latest updates in Hyderabad City News, Technology, Entertainment, Sports, Politics and Top Stories on WhatsApp & Telegram by subscribing to our channels. You can also download our app for Android and iOS.