Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc has secured an early advantage over Israeli prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government in the newly sworn-in Knesset, winning control of a key committee responsible for organising parliamentary business and appointments with the support of Arab parties.
The Knesset approved the proposed composition of the Arrangements Committee by 63 votes to 50 on Wednesday, rejecting a rival proposal from Likud MK Ofir Katz.
The committee will be chaired by Roy Folkman of Eisenkot’s Yashar party and will comprise 22 members, with nine representatives from each of the two main political blocs and four from the Arab parties, Ra’am and the Joint List.
The vote was significant because the committee determines the composition of the Knesset’s permanent committees and can establish temporary Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defence committees while a new government is being formed.
The temporary 17-member Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee will be chaired by Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, while Beyachad MK Liran Avisar Ben-Horin will head the Finance Committee. Both appointments were approved by the Arrangements Committee in a 13-9 vote following a heated debate.
Ra’am MK Yoav Segalovitz, a former senior police officer and the party’s first-ever Jewish candidate, is set to become the first representative of any Arab party on the Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee.
Eisenkot’s bloc has also agreed to establish special committees to pursue the repeal of five laws passed by Netanyahu’s outgoing government, covering judicial appointments, the attorney-general’s powers, police investigations, communications regulation and the circumstances in which a prime minister can be declared incapacitated.
Separately, the government approved Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar’s appointment as interior minister, allowing him to hold both portfolios. The ministry had been without a serving minister since Shas’s Moshe Arbel resigned in July 2025, with some ministerial powers transferred to Netanyahu in the interim.
Last week, President Isaac Herzog tasked Eisenkot with forming a new government, giving him an initial 28 days of negotiations to successfully secure a coalition.
The coalition is set to include Yashar, Beyachad, Yisrael Beiteinu and the Democrats, and also has the backing of the Arab parties.
Their support could prove futile, however, as Lieberman has previously said he will pull out of any coalition that relies on them.
This would put Eisenkot’s bloc below the 61 Knesset seats needed for a majority.
The deadline on forming the government could be extended by a further 14 days if needed in the hope of staving off a new election.
In the event that Eisenkot is unable to form a government, other candidates can then be chosen to make the attempt, with a total of 100 days allowed for the entirety of the process before fresh elections have to be held.
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