Opposition Moves to Replace Netanyahu as Smotrich and Ben-Gvir Influence Persists
On November 10, 2026, Israel’s opposition lawmakers deployed their majority to seize control of the legislature from Benjamin Netanyahu as the newly sworn-in Knesset began its session in Jerusalem.
Opposition parties requested a vote for a new speaker to set the parliamentary agenda, moving to replace Netanyahu loyalist Amir Ohana. Six opposition parties are working on key legislation despite not yet brokering a governing coalition, The Guardian reported.
Gadi Eisenkot holds the presidential mandate to form a government. He admitted that the path to power is exceptionally complex due to conflicting election promises, calling the effort to oust Netanyahu a national emergency.
“We will act for all citizens of Israel, those who voted for us and those who did not, out of deep commitment,” Eisenkot said, as reported by SMH.com.au.
Eisenkot’s Yashar party bloc submitted several bills on the opening day of the 26th Knesset. The proposals include establishing a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, attacks, setting term limits for prime ministers, and repealing the judicial overhaul legislation pursued by the outgoing government, The Times of Israel noted.
Netanyahu responded to the opening session with an attack on two Palestinian-led opposition parties, labeling their lawmakers terror supporters. Eisenkot denounced the speech as a delusional and divisive exploitation of a state occasion.
Yair Golan and Yoav Segalovich walked out of the address in protest. Palestinian citizens comprise roughly 20 percent of Israel’s population, and their voters played an essential role in unseating the previous coalition.
While the opposition maneuvers to unseat Netanyahu, analysts point out that the influence of far-right figures like Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will persist regardless of who leads the next government. Al Jazeera reported that both ministers transformed their ministries to advance hardline ideologies over the past three years.
Smotrich utilized his position as a minister within the Ministry of Defence to accelerate illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, announcing the revival of the E1 settlement plan in August 2025. Ben-Gvir politicized the police force and restricted conditions for Palestinian prisoners.
“Ben-Gvir’s power is populist and performative, and opposition suits him,” Arie Perliger, of the University of Massachusetts Lowell, told Al Jazeera. Smotrich, conversely, used bureaucratic control over budgets and settlement policy.
In June 2025, Ireland and the Netherlands imposed travel bans and asset freezes on Smotrich and Ben-Gvir due to their policies regarding Palestinians.
If Eisenkot fails to secure a coalition within six weeks, a second candidate, likely Netanyahu, will receive an opportunity to form a government. President Isaac Herzog urged lawmakers to avoid a second election by seeking compromise between rivals.
“Reach out a hand for compromise, even between rivals … Look upon one another with generosity,” Herzog said during the swearing-in ceremony.