Knesset erupts over speaker's jab at Supreme Court chief, Netanyahu expects more peace deals

The remarks come amid the ongoing split between the government and the judiciary in the country.

MK Gilad Kariv (The Democrats) and MK Meirav Cohen (Yesh Atid) were removed from the plenum after repeatedly voicing their objection to Ohana’s remarks.

President Isaac Herzog spoke after the commotion, saying that he had chosen to abandon the speech he had prepared entirely, and referred to Amit as the president of the Supreme Court of Israel, receiving applause from the opposition in return.

“I am calling out to the heavens; everyone, enough,” Herzog told the plenum. “I will not accept basic disrespect.”

Regarding Amit’s title, Netanyahu addressed Herzog directly, stating, “I have already said that I referred to Isaac Amit as president of the Supreme Court; that is a fact."

Netanyahu spoke on the achievements from the start of the war, receiving repeated applause from the coalition.

The prime minister said he would discuss regional challenges and opportunities with US Vice President JD Vance during his visit to Israel.

“In the violent and wild Middle East, we stand guard and act to neutralize threats. One hand of ours holds the weapon to defeat those who wish us harm. Our other hand is extended for peace,” he said.

“Thanks to our strength, I believe we will secure more peace agreements with countries in the region.

In the prime minister’s address, he called for unity to achieve peace, stating, “To successfully achieve all our goals, we must guard our unity even more closely.”

“We can and should discuss disagreements but do so with professionalism and certainly not with violence or murder threats against public officials or the prime minister and his family. Everyone knows the boundaries of acceptable discourse,” he said.

Netanyahu also spoke about Hamas’s recent violations of the existing ceasefire agreement, stating, “A ceasefire is not a license for Hamas to threaten us. Aggression against us will have a very heavy price.”

“At the end of the process we agreed upon with President Trump, Hamas’s military and governing power will be eliminated,” Netanyahu told the plenum.

“Regarding relations with the US, they have never been closer and more intimate than now. Everyone understands the importance of this closeness,” he said.

The prime minister also said that the government is making every effort to return all the remaining bodies of hostages held in Gaza.

During the speech, Netanyahu stressed the strength of the country’s economy and its progress with artificial intelligence.

“We will further strengthen Israel’s economy. Israel’s economic achievements during the war have drawn astonishment from around the world. Inflation is falling, the shekel is strong, unemployment is at a low, and the stock market is at an all-time high, and this is during wartime.”

“To avoid dependence on external weapons supplies, we are advancing the independence of our munitions production,” he said.

“We aspire to be a global power in artificial intelligence, and this will have enormous implications for our security and our economy.

Speaking further on upcoming legislation set for the winter session, he said that the 2026 state budget will soon be passed and that the Knesset will proceed in passing the controversial haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription law.

“The government will introduce a draft law that would draft 10,000 haredim (ultra-Orthodox) within two years,” Netanyahu said.

“This is a real revolution, something that has not happened since the founding of the state. There are many others of draft age who are not haredi; they too must serve.

“We have the example of the Hasmonean Brigade. These brave fighters enlisted in the IDF as haredim and will be discharged as haredim, and we will add tracks that will enable this,” Netanyahu said.

In a flurry of events that occurred just before the Knesset went into its summer recess on July 27, Shas and United Torah Judaism, two haredi parties, both resigned from the government.

The two parties’ resignation was due to the fallout over negotiations regarding the haredi conscription law, causing Netanyahu to lose his majority in the Knesset for the first time since taking office in late 2022.

Since then, a new draft law has been in the works, led by MK Boaz Bismuth (Likud), chairperson of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, which is developing the bill.

MK Yuli Edelstein (Likud), who had been producing the previous outline of the bill, was ousted from his position after the haredi parties resigned from the government.