Israel’s parliament dissolved, elections to be held on November 1
JERUSALEM: Israeli lawmakers dissolved parliament on Thursday, leading to the country’s fifth election in less than four years, with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid taking over as acting prime minister at midnight.
The final dissolution bill, which passed with 92 votes against none, ends the year-long premiership of Naftali Bennett, who led an eight-party coalition backed by an Arab party that It was the first time in the history of Israel.
After the vote, Lapid and Bennett immediately swapped seats in parliament – the Knesset – and Lapid was embraced by members of his centrist Yash Atid (There is a Future) party.
Bennett said late Wednesday that he would not stand in the upcoming election on November 1, in which veteran right-wing opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu seeks to reclaim power.
Netanyahu has promised that his coalition of right-wing, ultra-nationalists and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties will win the upcoming vote, but opinion polls show he may also struggle to secure a parliamentary majority.
Bennett will host Lapid for a handover ceremony later on Thursday, the prime minister’s office said.
The outgoing prime minister will also hand over the leadership of his religious nationalist Yamina party to his longtime political ally, Interior Minister Aylette Shek.
Netanyahu’s main challenger will be longtime foe Lapid, a former celebrity news anchor who has surprised many since being dismissed as light-weight after entering politics a decade ago.
Bennett’s inspiring coalition formed with Lapid in June 2021 offered respite from an unprecedented era of political deadlock, ending Netanyahu’s 12-consecutive years in power and Israel’s record of passing the first state budget since 2018. done.
As the pair announced plans to end their alliance last week, Lapid sought to treat Netanyahu’s possible return as a national threat.
“What we need to do today is to go back to the concept of Israeli unity. Not to let dark forces tear us apart from within,” Lapid said.
Bennett led a coalition of right-wing, centrist, pigeons and Islamists from the Rams faction, which made history by becoming the first Arab party to support the Israeli government since the creation of the Jewish state.
But the coalition, united by its desire to oust Netanyahu and break a damaging cycle of inconclusive elections, was struck by its ideological divisions from the start.
Bennett said the final straw was the failure to renew a measure that ensures that the roughly 475,000 Jewish settlers in the occupied West Bank live under Israeli law.
Some Arab lawmakers in the coalition have refused to support a bill, saying it is de facto support for the 55-year occupation that has forced West Bank Palestinians to live under Israeli rule.
For Bennett, a staunch supporter of settlements, letting the so-called West Bank law expire was unbearable. Dissolving Parliament before the end of 30 June temporarily renews the measure.
In the weeks before uncovering his alliance, Bennett sought to highlight his successes, which he cited as proof that ideological rivals could rule together.
In his farewell address on Wednesday, he said, “No one should give up their position, but it is certainly possible and necessary to put aside the ideological debate for the time being and look after the economy, security and future of Israel’s citizens.” ” , which did not rule out an eventual return to politics.
Bennett will remain as the alternate prime minister responsible for Iran policy, as world powers take steps to revive stalled talks over Tehran’s nuclear program.
Israel opposes the resumption of a 2015 agreement that gave Iran sanctions relief in exchange for the extent of its nuclear program.
Lapid will retain the title of foreign minister while serving as Israel’s 14th prime minister. He will find himself under an opening microscope, with US President Joe Biden in Jerusalem in two weeks.