Cheers and jeers as Israel’s 26th Knesset sworn in

The 26th Knesset convened for the first time on Tuesday afternoon, with all 120 members sworn in at the opening ceremony in Jerusalem, as Israel entered a new parliamentary era with a majority of lawmakers opposed to now-caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government.

The opening ceremony began with pomp and circumstance, with trumpets playing as the new Knesset members from various parties poured into the plenum. Outside, several hundred right-wing protesters gathered, railing against the possibility of a government backed by Arab parties, which now hold a record 19 seats.

The new Knesset’s first session was marked by heckling from several lawmakers and walkouts from the plenum, but also cheers for some new lawmakers.

Netanyahu’s bloc now holds just 53 seats, compared to the 67 held by parties opposed to him. His main challenger, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, is two days into his month-long mandate to form a government after receiving the nod to do so from President Isaac Herzog on Sunday.

He faces an uphill battle, however, as his core bloc of Zionist, anti-Netanyahu parties has only 48 seats, well short of the 61 seats needed to form a majority government. Just before the Knesset opened, Eisenkot said he was committed to creating a “national emergency government as soon as possible,” without compromising on his principles.