Opposition Bloc Set to Weigh Bid to Replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana
Israeli opposition bloc leaders are set to meet to agree on a candidate for Knesset Speaker. Ultra-Orthodox parties have signaled they will sit out a vote to replace Amir Ohana.
Leaders of the Israeli opposition bloc are scheduled to meet on Tuesday to discuss forming a unified consensus on a candidate for Knesset Speaker. Following Avigdor Lieberman's announcement that he will support Yair Lapid, political estimates suggest broad backing is forming around Lapid for the post.
Meanwhile, political sources report that ultra-Orthodox parties have signaled they will be absent from the plenum if a vote to replace current Speaker Amir Ohana is brought forward. Such an abstention by ultra-Orthodox lawmakers would effectively pave the way for Ohana's removal.
The political maneuvering unfolds against a backdrop of ongoing friction between Ohana and ultra-Orthodox factions, which flared up prior to the elections following critical remarks by United Torah Judaism MK Yitzhak Pindrus. Ohana responded sharply to the comments at the time, while also acknowledging the heavy toll that political activism outside his home has taken on his family and children.
