The Knesset plenum convened Monday for a 40 signature debate on the opposition’s claim that Israel’s international standing is collapsing, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and opposition leader Yair Lapid expected to speak.
The session came amid Netanyahu’s request for a presidential pardon in his corruption trial and a proposed Haredi draft exemption law that has shaken the coalition. Netanyahu’s scheduled court testimony was canceled for the day because of the plenum debate and what his office described as an urgent diplomatic meeting with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Michael Waltz, who is visiting Israel.
Opening his remarks, Netanyahu ridiculed the premise of the debate. He said the opposition was recycling empty slogans disconnected from reality and insisted Israel is stronger than ever. Netanyahu said Israel is the most powerful force in the Middle East and, in some areas, a global power.
He credited what he called the achievements of the “War of Revival” to the bravery of Israeli troops, the resilience of the public and what he described as courageous and measured government decisions. He also pointed to the economy, saying Israel is breaking records, the shekel is strong against the dollar, unemployment is at a historic low and foreign investment is flowing in at major levels.
Netanyahu accused opposition lawmakers of politicizing the war and of suggesting he does not want to bring home the hostages. He said Israel is fighting antisemitism worldwide and argued that statements made in the Knesset are echoed overseas. He said the government has transferred more than 2 billion shekels to the Foreign Ministry to combat anti-Israel propaganda.
Looking ahead, Netanyahu said he will meet U.S. President Donald Trump later this month for what he described as their sixth meeting since Trump returned to office in January. He told lawmakers that before each meeting the opposition predicts clashes with Washington and then is disappointed. Netanyahu also said Israel is in contact with another major power, Russia, and that he speaks regularly with President Vladimir Putin. He said those talks help protect Israel’s security interests, including along the northern border.
During the speech, lawmaker Merav Ben Ari shouted that Netanyahu is wanted in Europe. Netanyahu fired back, saying the opposition repeats what he called a disgraceful claim rooted in accusations by an investigator he described as corrupt, and he told them to be ashamed.
Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman attacked Netanyahu from the podium, accusing him of selling out everyone and focusing on petty politics instead of addressing the toll on soldiers, including suicide and post traumatic stress. On the draft exemption bill, Lieberman said Likud voters support a real enlistment law, not evasion. He said most of the public backs a state commission of inquiry into the October 7 terror attack, and claimed the record shows who enabled Hamas and bears responsibility. Lieberman urged Netanyahu to take a pardon and leave political life, warning otherwise he would exit in disgrace.
The draft exemption proposal by Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Boaz Bismuth has rattled the coalition, with several ministers and lawmakers already saying they will oppose the current version. Minister Ofir Sofer said he would vote against it even if it costs him his post, and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel began a protest march against the bill. Shas and Degel HaTorah are demanding that the measure be approved by the committee as a condition for supporting the 2026 budget. Meanwhile, the committee approved Defense Minister Israel Katz’s request to extend IDF reserve call ups under Order 8.
Opposition members on the committee condemned the government, saying it is advancing a draft evasion law over the heads of those serving while making life and death decisions within minutes. They said the coalition has lost touch with reality and is exploiting uniformed Israelis instead of honoring them.