To replace Netanyahu, Eisenkot must learn from his rival’s playbook

Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar party is advancing a legislative amendment to allow the Knesset to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre by a simple majority, bypassing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's opposition. The article analyzes the post-election Knesset dynamics, where 67 lawmakers oppose Netanyahu, and the challenges Eisenkot faces in forming a government.

The Yashar party, led by former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot, is advancing a legislative amendment to bypass Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to establish a state commission of inquiry into the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre. The amendment would allow the full Knesset plenum to establish such a commission by a simple majority vote, circumventing the current requirement for a government cabinet decision or a State Control Committee route that faces parliamentary obstacles. This move comes after the October 27 election, which left Netanyahu's right-wing coalition with only 53 seats out of 120, while 67 lawmakers from the change bloc and Arab-majority parties oppose him. The article notes that the ultra-Orthodox UTJ party has declared it is no longer part of Netanyahu's bloc due to disagreements over military draft exemptions, and the Trump administration opposes including far-right parties like Otzma Yehudit in any future government. Eisenkot's bloc faces the challenge of turning its 48 seats into a disciplined force to form an alternative government, while Netanyahu's caretaker government remains in office during potentially lengthy coalition negotiations.