The new Israeli parliament begins its work on Tuesday, two weeks after legislative elections that did not result in a clear majority. Will the parties opposed to caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu begin their war against him even before a new government is formed?
Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Sunday tasked former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot with forming a new government, a complex task that may take time. Until a new government is formed, Netanyahu, who is considered the longest-serving prime minister in Israel's history, will continue to carry out the government's work. But the new parliament, consisting of 120 members, includes a large segment of members who may unite to confront him and obstruct his policies.
Assaf Shapira, a political expert at the Israeli Democracy Institute, says: “Failure to form a new government does not detract from the powers of the Knesset.” The number of seats in Netanyahu's bloc in the new parliament decreased to 53 seats, after he had a comfortable majority of 68 seats in the previous parliament.
The opposition bloc won 46 seats. The Arab-majority parties, which won 19 seats, strongly oppose Netanyahu and his far-right government.
The following are the most prominent means that the new Knesset could use against Netanyahu’s policies:
An investigation committee into the October 7th attack
During its election campaign, the opposition bloc focused on the need to establish a committee to investigate the security failures that occurred during the Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.
Netanyahu refused to bear any responsibility for these failures, and his government consistently opposed the formation of an independent national investigation committee with broad investigative powers, preferring a review conducted by politically appointed figures.
Shapira says that even before a new government is formed, the new parliament could establish a special committee to investigate the attack, with its findings later referred to an official investigation committee.
Eisenkot announced after the elections held on October 27 that forming an investigation committee would be one of his immediate priorities.
Repeal laws passed during the Netanyahu era
The new parliament could also move quickly to repeal some of the most controversial laws passed under Netanyahu, including his push for sweeping reforms in the judiciary, which the prime minister has come to view as an adversary after corruption charges were brought against him.
The judicial reforms sparked one of the largest waves of popular protest in Israeli history. Liberal circles expressed their concerns about the future of democracy in the country, before the Hamas attack and the wars that followed quickly shifted public attention to other issues.
The new parliament could seek to repeal the laws passed by the previous government coalition, which limited the powers of the Supreme Court and facilitated the dismissal of the government's judicial advisor.
Representatives can also withdraw the exemptions granted to ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service. This exemption angers a wide segment of Israelis, at a time when the military establishment faces increasing pressure and a shortage of manpower.
Shapira explains that repealing the laws passed during Netanyahu’s era is procedurally simple, as it is sufficient to put them to a vote and return to previous policies. However, this process may take several weeks, while the opposition needs intense coordination among itself and agreement on its legislative priorities.
Election of a new speaker of the Knesset
The first political confrontation will revolve around the election of a new speaker of the Knesset. This position is currently held by Amir Ohana, who belongs to Netanyahu's Likud Party.
Under the Parliament's bylaws, voting to choose the Speaker of the Knesset can be held starting from the opening session, and must take place before the new government is sworn in.
The first signs of confrontation erupted on Thursday, when three parties from Eisenkot's team sent letters to the outgoing Speaker of the Knesset, asking him to elect a successor during the opening session of Parliament, a date that, according to Shapira, is considered the most common in such cases. But Ohana responded that the established tradition requires that the Speaker of the Knesset be elected on the day the new government takes the constitutional oath.
Naftali Bennett, one of the most prominent faces of the opposition, pledged to move “urgently” to implement the bloc’s priorities. He said, “We will work to control the Knesset as soon as possible.”
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf, Iran's chief negotiator with the United States, accused Israel of seeking to drag Washington into an open war with Iran, on a day in which Qatari mediation intensified to end the war.
Qalibaf wrote on the “X” platform, on Monday evening: “The Israelis are seeking day and night to drag America into an endless war with Iran. A quagmire from which no president, current or future, whether Republican or Democrat, will be able to emerge.
Hours earlier, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made a similar comment on President Donald Trump’s talk about voters’ alienation from Israel. Araqchi wrote: “The American president clearly realizes that the vast majority of Americans are disgusted with Israel... They are tired of Israel deceiving the American administrations and dragging them into endless wars.”
Trump had spoken, in an interview with the “60 Minutes” program on CBS, about “an incredibly strong aversion to Israel” among the reasons for the Republicans’ loss in the midterm elections, in addition to the war on Iran and the rise in gasoline prices.
In Israel, Defense Minister Yisrael Katz said on Sunday that his country’s mission towards Iran “has not yet been accomplished,” and that Tehran is still seeking to possess a nuclear weapon. Iran denies this.
Trump told CNN that resuming war on Iran is “extremely unlikely” as long as negotiations on the nuclear program and reopening the Strait of Hormuz make progress, while keeping the military option in place.
On Monday, Trump met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani at the White House, in a meeting that lasted about 45 minutes and focused on “negotiations with Iran,” according to a journalist on the Axios website. No official statement was issued about the meeting.
A senior Iranian security official denied, to the Tasnim Agency affiliated with the Revolutionary Guards, reports of an upcoming meeting between Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council Mohsen Rezaei and US Vice President J.D. Vance in Doha, and said that Tehran will not negotiate “unless the American side takes a practical step within the framework of the seven conditions.”
Tehran adheres to the “two-day proposal” to reopen the Strait. Araqchi said that the proposal is still “viable” if the Iranian conditions are implemented, and that the White House must make its decision. Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei described it as “the pinnacle of good faith,” in response to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who described some Iranian conditions as “outrageous and ridiculous,” ruling out an imminent breakthrough.
On Monday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian revealed that Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei had ordered an end to the “no war, no peace” situation. Baghaei said that removing enriched uranium from Iran is “not on the table in any way,” and is one of the main American demands.
The communications coincided with American strikes on Qeshm, and Tehran’s announcement of targeting 11 tankers in Hormuz within ten days.
