Israel’s 26th Knesset was sworn in on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, in a ceremony marked by shouting, walkouts and open hostility between rival camps, underlining how deeply divided the country’s politics remain after an election that produced no clear winner.
The loudest confrontation came as Yousef Jabareen, chairman of the Arab-majority Joint List, stood to take his oath of allegiance. As he began the formal words, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shouted across the chamber: “Who is he pledging allegiance to, Hamas?” The outburst, reported by France24 and other outlets, drew angry responses from lawmakers around him and set the tone for a tense afternoon.
The disruption did not stop there. Arab members of the Knesset walked out of the plenum during the singing of Hatikva, the national anthem, in a protest that drew further shouting from the floor. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana warned that lawmakers who disrupted proceedings would be thrown out of the chamber, as he struggled to keep order during the opening session.
Caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu used the occasion to attack the idea of a government that would depend on the support of Arab parties, and he called instead for a national unity government. His remarks were sharply criticised by opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has been mandated to try to form the next government and who described the speech as divisive.
The opposition has already moved to challenge the leadership of the parliament itself, submitting 67 signatures in support of replacing Speaker Ohana with Matan Kahana. The move is an early sign of how the new balance of power in the Knesset could be used by parties opposed to Netanyahu.
The numbers behind the deadlock explain the tension. The two Arab-led alliances won a record 19 seats between them, giving Arab parties their strongest representation in the Knesset’s history. Eisenkot’s four-party bloc won 48 seats, while Netanyahu’s bloc took 53. In a 120-seat parliament, neither side holds the 61 seats needed for a majority, leaving the country without a government and the coalition talks still open.
With no side able to govern alone, the coming weeks are likely to decide whether Eisenkot can assemble a working coalition, whether Netanyahu can block him, or whether Israel faces yet another round of elections. The scenes in the chamber on Tuesday suggested that whatever path is chosen, it will be fought over fiercely.