Accusations and protests when the Knesset opened

On Tuesday, the Knesset welcomed the parliamentarians who were elected on October 27. President Isaac Herzog asked them all to find compromises across party lines to avoid new elections.

But the politicians did not listen.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who looks set to relinquish power, used his speech to accuse Arab-Israeli parties in parliament of "destroying the Jewish state" while calling for unity to defend Israel against international pressure to "accept a nuclear-armed Iran" in the near future.

That prompted opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who this weekend got the chance to try to form a government, to respond to Netanyahu on X with: "I sat and listened to the outgoing prime minister's delusions, a hate-filled and shameful speech. I am more convinced than ever that he is not capable of staying for a single minute more".

His Yashar party also tabled a proposal in the Knesset to form an independent commission to investigate any wrongdoing committed in the run-up to Hamas' bloody attack on October 7, 2023, which Netanyahu has consistently refused.

The Arab-Israeli opposition became the wave master in the election, and Israel's largest Arab party alliance, the Joint List, has backed Eisenkot's coalition.

During the opening of the parliament, the Arab-Israeli politicians left the chamber, according to Israeli journalists to avoid standing during the Israeli national anthem.

At the time, far-right minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had already heckled the leader of the Joint List, Yousef Jabareen, when he was sworn in.

- Who does he swear his allegiance to, Hamas? shouted Ben-Gvir.