Abdel Raouf Arnaout, Mohammad Sio
20 October 2025•Update: 20 October 2025
JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL
The Israeli Knesset opened its winter session Monday in a stormy meeting marked by opposition protests, the forced removal of several lawmakers by security, and multiple interruptions of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech.
Speaker Amir Ohana began the session by attacking the judicial system, prompting large protests from opposition members, according to the local daily Maariv.
Ohana said the judiciary’s disregard for Knesset decisions strikes at Israeli democracy. “We, the elected representatives, are not nullified; sovereignty returns to the public that went to the ballot boxes,” he said.
Relations between the Supreme Court and Israel’s current government have been tense due to attempts to limit judicial authority. Ruling coalition parties have criticized the court for overturning Knesset legislation, which they view as undermining the will of elected officials.
“Those who harm the Knesset are those who annul its laws, take its powers into their own hands, and confiscate the public’s authority to decide what decisions will be made and who will make them,” Ohana added.
The statements signaled a renewed push for judicial reform, which had sparked widespread protests in early 2023 prior to the Israeli war on Gaza.
During the session, Ohana also refused to address Supreme Court Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit by his full title, calling him only “judge,” which opposition lawmakers protested.
Security forcibly removed several members, including Gilad Kariv from the opposition, Maariv said.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid criticized Ohana as “head of half the Knesset,” representing only government parties, and labeled Netanyahu’s government “sick,” calling again for a formal inquiry into the Oct.7, 2023 attacks.
President Isaac Herzog expressed dismay at the treatment of the judiciary.
“There is a difference between legitimate debate and encroachment on other authorities and human dignity,” he said, urging clarification on these issues, while personally welcoming Chief Justice Amit.
Netanyahu, in his speech repeatedly interrupted by opposition members, said Amit is indeed the Supreme Court chief but emphasized his own authority as prime minister.
He defended delays in finalizing a Gaza ceasefire, claiming that Hamas had not been ready for such an agreement in previous periods. Netanyahu reaffirmed ongoing efforts to recover hostages, describing it as a “sacred mission.”
The ceasefire, reached under domestic and US pressure, took effect on Oct. 10, halting hostilities in Gaza and allowing for a prisoner exchange. Families of Israeli captives had repeatedly accused Netanyahu of prolonging the war for political survival while catering to extremist allies advocating continued conflict.
The current Knesset winter session may be its last, with Israeli state media reporting that Netanyahu plans to move up general elections to June 2026, ahead of the scheduled November date.
