Eisenkot plan: seize Knesset control before coalition talks

Yesh Atid chairman Gadi Eisenkot is advancing a plan to take control of power centers in the Knesset before coalition negotiations even begin, according to a report published Thursday evening on Ynet. The plan includes establishing special committees, filling key Knesset positions, and advancing legislation using the parliamentary majority of parties opposing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

One of Eisenkot's first moves is to establish a "special committee for a state commission of inquiry law." The committee's purpose would be to advance legislation allowing the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into the October 7th massacre, not through a government decision, but through Knesset legislation.

At the same time, leaders of the change bloc have decided to establish six to eight additional special committees that will advance legislative amendments. Some committees will work to repeal laws from the judicial overhaul, while others will advance urgent legislation the bloc seeks to pass using its current Knesset majority.

"We need to realize the parliamentary majority we have in the Knesset and start working," Eisenkot explained.

The plan is based on support from 67 MKs who oppose Netanyahu. However, even if the committees are established, achieving their goals is expected to be complex as long as a new government has not been formed.

Alongside establishing the special committees, the change bloc is planning to staff the two central Knesset committees, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and the Finance Committee, with representatives from the parties making up the bloc.

Another move under consideration is replacing Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. Opposition parties are demanding to advance his replacement after collecting signatures from more than 61 MKs. A source close to Eisenkot said the candidate for Knesset speaker will be chosen by consensus, and the decision is expected by Sunday.

Parallel to the parliamentary moves, coalition negotiations are expected to take place at the Dan Accadia Hotel in Herzliya. Change bloc leaders Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Golan met there this week, alongside opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Eisenkot is seeking to first advance the signing of coalition agreements with the three bloc parties, with a commitment that if a minority government is formed, it will operate for only a short period, with the goal of expanding it later.

But already a significant dispute is emerging within the bloc. Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman opposes forming a minority government and sitting with the Arab parties. Liberman even warned that "a minority government will survive less than the change government that lasted a year, and we'll get a strong Netanyahu with 70 mandates."

Thus, while Eisenkot seeks to begin activating the parliamentary majority already in the Knesset, the question of forming a government and the possibility of establishing a minority government remain in dispute among bloc leaders.