- Ravi Berg
- BBC News
Last update 1 hour ago
Yair Lapid will lead the government during an election battle that is expected to be bitter with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The Israeli Knesset voted on Thursday to dissolve itself after the collapse of the ruling coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, which opens the way for elections to be held on November 1, for the fifth time in less than four years.
Bennett will resign at midnight to be replaced by his coalition partner, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, who will lead the government during an election battle expected to be bitter with opposition leader and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Lapid, the leader of the There is a Future party, formed an unexpected eight-party coalition after last year’s elections, but it collapsed last week, paving the way for new elections.
It also opens an opportunity for Israel’s longest-serving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return to office despite being tried on corruption charges.
Bennett and Lapid ousted Netanyahu, whose right-wing Likud party is expected to remain the largest in the Knesset, last June, breaking two years of political deadlock.
Before the vote to dissolve the Knesset, which was postponed until Thursday morning, Bennett told members of his right-wing Yamina party that he would not run in the upcoming elections, his spokesman said. He will serve as alternate prime minister under Lapid until then.
photo released, Archyde.com
Lapid agreed to rotate the premiership with Bennett as part of a coalition deal
Lapid, 58, is a former television news anchor, who will serve as the caretaker prime minister until elections are held in late October or early November.
He was tasked with forming a governing coalition after Netanyahu and his allies failed to secure a majority following the March 2021 elections.
Lapid agreed to rotate the premiership with Bennett as part of a deal that brought together the coalition. Bennett was due to hand over power to him in September 2023.
This government was the most diverse in Israel’s history, bringing together eight parties from across the political spectrum including those with ideologically opposing views. It also included an independent Arab party for the first time since 1948.
Despite Bennett’s attempts to focus only on issues on which the parties could work together, she began feuding towards the end of her first year, becoming a minority government when a Yamina member resigned earlier this month.
photo released, Archyde.com
Benjamin Netanyahu says the collapse of the coalition government is “great news” for Israelis
In a televised address last week, Bennett said that he and Lapid “have been sparing no effort” to try to keep the alliance going, but that options have run out.
Netanyahu welcomed the announcement, describing it as “good news for millions of Israelis”.
Recent opinion polls indicate that Likud and There is a Future would win seats if elections were held now, but no coalition would be able to form a majority government, leading to further stalemate.