Israel will be headed for a fifth election in less than four years, extending a deep political crisis that began at the end of 2018 and that does not seem to see an end in the near future.
Parliament - the Knéset - has approved its dissolution this Thursday with 92 of the 120 disputed in favor and has called new elections for November. Under an agreement between the factions, Bennett will be relieved of his role as interim leader by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid.
The broad-spectrum coalition that was born to overthrow the reign of Benjamin Netanyahu and placed Naftali Bennett on the throne has thus come to an end after a year marked by irreconcilable ideological differences between the parties that comprised it. Infighting and defections have crippled his ability to pass legislation.
The president of the Knesset, Mickey Levy, has lamented after the vote that Parliament has been "polarized" and has denounced that hatred "has reached new heights" during the mandate of the coalition government, according to the newspaper The Times of Israel. "We must not continue down this path that could end up dismantling the Knesset and the ability to lead the country," he resolved.
During his farewell speech, the hitherto prime minister showed his support for Lapid and emphasized the importance of Israeli parties "putting aside ideological differences and dealing with the security, economy and future of the State of Israel. ".
In this way, Bennett ends his political career, as declared by the spokesman for his right-wing party, Yamina. She will leave the current Minister of the Interior, Ayelet Shaked, at the head of the group.
His opponent, on the other hand, hopes to win a sixth term, despite corruption charges that have been eroding his credibility as a leader. Accusations, however, that Netanyahu denies. Although his party, Likud, consistently leads the polls, the inconclusive elections between 2019 and 2021, added to his reputational crisis, cast doubt on the governability of the former prime minister.
