Israeli Opposition Agrees on Key Parliamentary Appointments

(MENAFN) Israeli opposition factions working to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration have reached an agreement on several senior parliamentary positions, selecting former minister Matan Kahana for the Knesset speakership and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman to head the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to a joint statement released Tuesday.

The agreement was reached among Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, Lieberman, Naftali Bennett of the Together bloc, Democrats chairman Yair Golan and opposition leader Yair Lapid.

Kahana, who occupies the fifth position on Eisenkot's Yashar electoral list, secured the nomination following several days of discussions among opposition representatives over the selection of the next parliamentary speaker.

Under the same arrangement, Liran Avishar Ben-Horin, an incoming lawmaker representing the Together bloc, has been designated to lead the Knesset's Finance Committee.

The opposition groups are expected to complete negotiations over the membership and leadership of parliamentary committees during the week before submitting their proposed structure to the Knesset for approval on Wednesday.

The agreement was finalized ahead of the scheduled swearing-in ceremony for Israel's 26th Knesset on Tuesday.

As part of their broader political efforts, opposition parties are seeking to replace current parliamentary Speaker Amir Ohana, a member of Netanyahu's Likud party.

Ohana has indicated that he would arrange a parliamentary debate on selecting his successor within seven days if a majority of lawmakers formally submit a request for the process to begin.

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