Israel's Netanyahu Announces Likud Lawmaker's Appointment as Parliament Speaker, Reports Say

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Israeli Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Wednesday that parties to the ruling coalition have unanimously approved Likud lawmaker Amir Ohana to be appointed Knesset speaker, media reported.

Likud and its coalition partners — the United Torah Judaism party, the Religious Zionist Party, Noam, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit — met on Wednesday morning and signed the final agreement on forming the government, Israeli media reported.

Netanyahu reportedly made the announcement of consensus on Ohana's appointment after the meeting. He also said that another member of Likud, Ofir Katz, would become the coalition's chairman, Israeli media reported.

On December 13, Likud lawmaker Yariv Levin was elected as the parliament's speaker, but he resigned two weeks later to take a ministerial position in the future government, which is expected to be announced on Thursday.

The speaker of Knesset is considered one of the most important political figures in Israel and serves as a backup president when the current president is out of office.

Netanyahu, whose party won the early parliamentary elections on November 1 as part of a right-wing coalition, received a mandate to form a government by December 11. As coalition talks dragged, Israeli President Isaac Herzog had to extend the deadline by ten days until December 21.

Netanyahu informed Herzog that he secured a deal to form the coalition government minutes before the second deadline, according to reports. The 73-year-old has already served as Israel's prime minister twice: from 1996-1999 and from 2009-2021.