The office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Monday, 20 June, announced that his coalition will disband, sending the country towards their fifth election in five years, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Bennett has tried hard to keep his coalition of eight parties together since he took office a year ago, with defections leaving the crumbling alliance without a proper majority in parliament for over two months.
The move throws a lifeline to former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who exited office last June after the formation of the current government, with his party currently leading in the polls, The New York Times reported.
Bennett, alongside his main coalition partner Yair Lapid will present a vote to dissolve Israel’s parliament, AP reported, adding that Lapid is not to serve as caretaker PM,
Israel had previously held four inconclusive elections between 2019 and 2021, which was majoritarily about Netanyahu’s ability to govern during his ongoing trial for corruption.
While opinion polls have forecast the emergence of Netanyahu’s hardline Likud as the single largest party, it remains unclear as to whether the former PM would be able to gather support to form a new government.
The election, expected to be held in October or November comes at an already precarious time for the country after an increased number of Palestinian attacks on citizens and amid escalations in the shadow war between Iran and Israel.
(With inputs from The Jerusalem Post, The New York Times and AP)
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