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As Israel navigates a complex political transition following inconclusive parliamentary contests, incoming lawmaker Matan Kahana has been designated as the candidate for the upcoming Speaker position by Yashar faction leader Gadi Eisenkot, as reported by The Jerusalem Post.
The political alignment announced on Tuesday morning positions Kahana, a former cabinet official who previously headed the Ministry of Religious Services from 2021 to 2022 and stepped down from the legislature in July 2025, to lead the parliamentary assembly. A military veteran who attained the rank of Colonel (reserves), Kahana completed distinguished service in the elite General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) alongside former prime minister and B'Yachad party leader Naftali Bennett, before transitioning to the Israel Air Force's Flight Academy, where he operated F-16 fighter jets during operations, including the Second Lebanon War. Additional structural assignments outlined by the Yashar faction include designated legislator Roy Folkman, positioned 17th on the electoral roster, who is slated to head the Knesset's Arrangements Committee. Furthermore, incoming B'Yachad faction member Liran Avisar Ben-Horin has been slated to lead the Finance Committee, while Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman is designated to head the pivotal Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to The Jerusalem Post. These parliamentary preparations follow the October 27 elections for Israel's 120-member legislature, which resulted in a hung parliament after neither major coalition secured the 61 seats required for an absolute majority, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud-led faction with 53 seats and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar alliance with 48 seats. Despite Netanyahu's faction securing the larger numerical tally, Eisenkot successfully gathered recommendations from representatives commanding 67 parliamentary seats, compared with 46 for Netanyahu. This total included crucial backing from the assembly's Arab factions, specifically the Joint List and Ra'am, whose combined 19 seats enabled Eisenkot to formally receive the mandate to form the government from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday, November 8. Following the formal commissioning by President Herzog, Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar-led bloc has received the mandate to form the government, initiating an intensive effort to secure parliamentary confidence. According to a report in the Tel Aviv-based newspaper Haaretz, Eisenkot has been granted an initial period of 28 days to form Israel's next administration, setting in motion a compressed timeline to secure the votes needed to win the Knesset's confidence. Under statutory provisions cited in the publication, if Eisenkot is unable to present a government for a Knesset confidence vote by December 6, the head of state has the discretion to grant a 14-day extension if there are indications of progress towards an agreement, extending the deadline to December 20. President Herzog was reported by Haaretz as being willing to give Eisenkot a free hand in his efforts to form a "national emergency government" comprising parties from his bloc. Nevertheless, should negotiations reach a definitive impasse, the president is expected to exert pressure to broker a national unity government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Haaretz reported. Netanyahu has persistently advocated a rotation-based unity arrangement with Eisenkot that would see both share the premiership, although the former IDF chief of staff has ruled out such a step. If Eisenkot fails to form a government within the designated period, Herzog will hold another round of consultations before assigning the mandate to another Knesset member. The second candidate will have 28 days to form a government, with no possibility of an extension, meaning the deadline would be January 20, 2027. If that second attempt also fails, 61 Knesset members can submit a written request to Herzog by February 10, asking him to assign the mandate to a candidate agreed upon by the lawmakers. That candidate would then have 14 days, until February 26, 2027, to form a government. If all statutory phases end in failure, the Knesset will dissolve and fresh elections will be called for no later than the last Tuesday in May 2027, unless the Knesset passes a law to dissolve itself earlier. (ANI)
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