Change Bloc nominates Matan Kahana for Knesset speaker, submits signatures to replace Amir Ohana

The Change Bloc, led by Gadi Eisenkot, nominated Matan Kahana of the Yashar party for Knesset speaker and submitted over 61 signatures to replace incumbent Amir Ohana. The bloc also agreed on committee chairs: Avigdor Lieberman for Foreign Affairs and Defense, Roey Folkman for Arrangements, and Liran Avishar Ben-Horin for Finance. The 26th Knesset was sworn in on November 10, 2026.

Yaakov Zalal's column asserts that MK Gadi Eisenkot will be the next prime minister and will form a government shortly after being tasked by the president. Zalal claims that throughout the election campaign it was clear that Eisenkot is a 'killer' who is at peace with his path: no unity government with Netanyahu, establishing a commission of inquiry into the October 7 massacre, and removing those involved from leadership. According to him, Eisenkot's partners in the Change Bloc have no other political options besides joining Netanyahu, which is a catastrophe for them. Zalal estimates that Eisenkot will be able to form a government with the support of the Arab parties, even without a formal partnership, and that partnership with the ultra-Orthodox should be conditional on budget cuts and core curriculum studies. He notes that Trump's defeat and the Republicans' loss in the US midterm elections gave momentum to the Change Bloc. The column ends with a call for support for a free press.