Israeli prime minister to dissolve parliament and call for early elections
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his coalition partner Foreign Minister Yair Lapid have decided to hold a vote on dissolving the parliament next week and call for an early election.
The new political developments will pave the way for Israel’s fifth election in three-and-a-half years.
Bennett said at a joint press conference that the decision to dissolve parliament “was the right one for Israel” and that he has “put the country before his own interests.”
He said that Lapid would take over as the caretaker prime minister until new elections can be held. Yair Lapid is a former journalist who now heads the largest party in the coalition.
Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said that “Elections and periods of instability are not a good thing but we will be determined to put Israel and its citizens first”.
The new elections would also set the stage for the possible return to power of former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.The opposition leader Netanyahu called the coalition’s decision “great news” and said he wants to form a wide national government after the elections. “After a year’s determined struggle by the opposition in the Knesset and great suffering by the public in Israel, it is clear to everyone that the worst government in Israeli history has come to an end,” Netanyahu said in a video posted to Twitter.
Elections are likely to take place at the end of October in Israel.
