---
title: "Herzog Opens a Knesset With No Majority and Asks It Not to Dissolve Itself"
description: "Swearing in the 26th Knesset, Israel’s president asked for an October 7 inquiry and for concessions. Within hours the chamber had split again"
author: "Jan Sokol"
published: 2026-11-10T17:16:15Z
modified: 2026-11-11T08:15:37Z
url: https://rews.cc/a/herzog-opens-a-knesset-with-no-majority-and-asks-it-not-to-d-ce618a
language: en
tags: ["israel", "politics", "elections", "hamas", "iran", "mideast"]
publisher: "Rews (https://rews.cc)"
---

# Herzog Opens a Knesset With No Majority and Asks It Not to Dissolve Itself

*Swearing in the 26th Knesset, Israel’s president asked for an October 7 inquiry and for concessions. Within hours the chamber had split again*

By Jan Sokol · November 10, 2026 · https://rews.cc/a/herzog-opens-a-knesset-with-no-majority-and-asks-it-not-to-d-ce618a

## In brief

- Israel’s 26th Knesset was sworn in on 10 November after the 27 October election left no bloc with a majority
- Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats; Eisenkot, who has the mandate, has a core of 48 and needs 61
- President Herzog called for an October 7 inquiry, political concessions and every effort to avoid a repeat election
- Netanyahu said Arab parties must not join a government; Yashar then cancelled planned talks with Likud
- A vote on replacing Knesset speaker Amir Ohana is set for 17 November

On Tuesday, 10 November, 120 lawmakers took their oath in the Knesset in Jerusalem. The man who opened their first session holds an office with no troops and no vote in the chamber. Its power lies in words, and in deciding who gets the first try at building a government. Isaac Herzog used both. As [Al Jazeera reported](https://aljazeera.com/news/2026/11/10/israeli-president-warns-against-repeat-election-in-new-knesset-session), the president asked the new parliament for two things the country has so far failed to give itself: an honest account of 7 October, and a Knesset that does not tear itself down before it has started work.

## The arithmetic

The numbers come first, because in a parliament they outrank everything else. In the election of 27 October, Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats. The parties opposed to him hold 67, [according to the Times of Israel](https://www.timesofisrael.com/amid-cheers-and-jeers-26th-knesset-convenes-as-120-mks-sworn-in-at-opening-ceremony). But that 67 does not hold together. The core of Gadi Eisenkot’s camp, the Zionist parties opposed to Netanyahu, has 48 seats, well short of the 61 needed to govern. Arab parties won a record 19. Of the new members, 47 are newcomers and 33 are women.

On Sunday Herzog [handed Eisenkot the mandate](https://rews.cc/a/herzog-gives-eisenkot-28-days-to-find-a-majority-the-electio-7cac58). He has 28 days, which runs to 6 December, plus a possible 14-day extension. He has promised a national emergency government as soon as possible but has not yet secured the deals that would take him to 61. Netanyahu’s camp claims foreign interference, pointing to the size of the Arab parties’ bloc. Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh reported that the results are certified and that every relevant authority has rejected the claims of widespread violations. The Shin Bet reportedly found no evidence of meddling. The [election chief had already said the count stands](https://rews.cc/a/tel-aviv-crowds-ask-eisenkot-to-break-his-pledge-and-govern--b23cbf).

![A semicircular seating chart has navy, cream, and teal puzzle-shaped sections with yellow seat cutouts on a golden yellow background.](https://rews.cc/img/1fe7085f854c6b6d91f9de82d5da7d92c56f4adf.webp)

## What the president asked for

Herzog asked party leaders to “make concessions” and to do “everything possible to avoid a repeat election.” He also wanted this parliament to last: in his words, it [must serve out its full term](https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/politics/artc-herzog-urges-new-knesset-to-serve-full-term-strengthen-regional-peace), because there is a great deal of work ahead of it.

> We must leave no stone unturned, must investigate and must understand how the October 7 disaster occurred, and draw lessons and conclusions.

He then went through the list of a country at war with itself and with others. On military service he called for “joint responsibility for the duty of service,” and on drafting the ultra-Orthodox he said “this is the time to find the appropriate solution.” On violence: “There is no place for violence, not in Arab society, not in the hills of Judea and Samaria.” Tehran, he said, “does not stop even for a moment in its plots and threats, whether directly or through its partners.” He told lawmakers to [fortify the alliance with the United States](https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/herzog-to-26th-knesset-we-must-investigate-october-7-strengthen-ties-with-us-share-responsibility-for-service), which he called Israel’s greatest friend, even as American public disapproval of Israel grows over the wars in Gaza and Iran. He asked for “a stable political horizon in the region with our neighbours,” and said the peace agreements with Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain should be strengthened and even added to. He also congratulated Netanyahu on entering his fifteenth Knesset, a record.

![A cream podium with a coral side stands against a vivid blue background, with two dark microphones curving upward into leafy branches.](https://rews.cc/img/d4ab925ec8a54591970f586bf868f341c2e81ccf.webp)

## The inquiry that power postponed

Of everything Herzog said, the investigation is the oldest open wound. Netanyahu has refused to set up a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas attack. He argues that a panel appointed by the Supreme Court would be biased against his government. Over the past year his government has said it would back an inquiry chosen by a panel of lawmakers instead, with politicians setting its mandate and scope. Eisenkot’s bloc has now tabled bills for a state inquiry into 7 October, for repealing the judicial overhaul and for limits on how long a prime minister can serve.

A reflection, not a finding: governments that are asked to account for a catastrophe tend to want to pick their own judges. Then a ballot takes the choice away from them.

## The answer from the floor

The appeal for concessions lasted about as long as the ceremony. Netanyahu gave what the Times of Israel called a furious speech. He demanded a “unity government” and declared, in the words the paper printed: “The Arab parties seek to destroy the Jewish state. They must not be part of a government.” He reportedly urged the ultra-Orthodox parties not to trust Eisenkot. Eisenkot called it a “hate-filled speech” and said it proved the prime minister unfit for office. His Yashar party cancelled planned negotiations with Likud, citing Netanyahu’s “divisive speech.”

![Two cream chairs face a red table split down the middle by the pointed tail of a large blank cream speech bubble against a blue background.](https://rews.cc/img/7199f464b593aa84108921f067c66a1d94585130.webp)

The rest of the day went the same way. When Joint List chair Yousef Jabareen took his oath, Itamar Ben Gvir shouted: “Who’s he committing to, Hamas?” During the anthem, which most Arab members did not attend, Ben Gvir and Eliyahu taunted the opposition: “Where are your partners?” Outgoing speaker Amir Ohana of Likud attacked the Arab parties as those who “spread blood libels about our fighters”. Democrats lawmaker Gilad Kariv walked out and called the speech “a tin-eared end to a disgraceful tenure.” Several hundred right-wing protesters outside opposed any government backed by Arab parties and warned of “civil war.” One moment stood apart. Elisha Medan, a Likud member who lost both legs fighting in Gaza, was applauded from both sides of the chamber.

Ohana stays on as caretaker speaker until his replacement is chosen. [The caretaker habit runs deep](https://rews.cc/a/netanyahu-lost-the-mandate-but-kept-the-keys-israel-s-careta-706f85). The Times of Israel says a petition signed by 67 members seeks to replace him with Yashar’s Matan Kahana. Odeh reported 61 signatures. Ohana agreed to hold the vote on Tuesday, 17 November, saying he would “respect the will of the majority of Knesset members.” United Torah Judaism says it will not vote to remove him.

So the clock runs: 28 days for Eisenkot, perhaps 14 more, and then, if neither he nor Netanyahu can put together a coalition, possibly another election. That was exactly the outcome the president had asked the new Knesset to avoid that morning.