TEL AVIV: After the collapse of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's flimsy coalition government and the calling of the fifth general election in less than four years, Israeli MPs on Thursday unanimously agreed to dissolve Parliament. According to an official statement, the 120-member Knesset (Parliament) voted 92-0 to disband and hold the election on November 1.
Under the terms of the power-sharing agreement they reached after the unresolved elections in 2021, Bennett is anticipated to transfer power to Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, the head of the moderate Yesh Atid party. On Friday, Lapid will officially become the caretaker Prime Minister and will hold the position until the next government is formulated.
The outgoing Prime Minister declared in a televised speech on Wednesday that he would not run in the elections in November, claiming that the past year had been marked by personal attacks against him and persistent attempts to overthrow his government by the opposition, which was led by his predecessor Benjamin Netanyahu. It was "challenging" for him and his family, he said.
In order to unseat Netanyahu, who is currently being prosecuted for corruption, Bennett led a coalition of eight ideologically diverse parties, including Dovish liberals, centrists, Hawkish right-wingers, and an Arab party. This coalition made history by being the first to join a ruling coalition in Israel.
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