Knesset to vote on replacing the speaker on November 17 at the request of 67 lawmakers

The vote is scheduled for November 17

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announced on Tuesday that parliament will hold debates and a vote on his replacement next week, following a petition by 67 lawmakers. The session is scheduled for November 17 at 4:00 p.m. local time. Ohana, a member of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, called the request exceptional,although the procedure is permitted by parliamentary rules and has been upheld by a Supreme Court decision.

Context: the balance of power after the October 27 election

The announcement came on the day of the first plenary session of the newly elected 120-member Knesset. Ohana had previously rejected the opposition's demand to hold the vote at the opening session itself, arguing that an early change of speaker requires a petition from at least 61 lawmakers. In the October 27 election, Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, the opposition parties 48, and the Arab parties 19, giving Netanyahu's opponents a combined 67 seats. The opposition, led by Gadi Eisenkot, is seeking to replace the speaker in order to gain greater control over the legislative agenda before a new government is formed. According to Israeli media reports, on Monday Eisenkot and Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman agreed that the next speaker will be a member of Eisenkot's Yashar party. Replacing Ohana could allow the opposition bloc to advance bills, including a proposal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023 attacks, while coalition negotiations continue.