ANI
20 Jun 2022, 23:33 GMT+10
Tel Aviv [Israel], June 20 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office on Monday said that his weakened coalition will be disbanded and the country will head to a new election, ushering in the fifth election in three years.
The move follows the defection of two coalition lawmakers, giving the opposition a majority in Parliament, reported The New York Times (NYT).
The decision throws a political lifeline to Benjamin Netanyahu, the former prime minister who left office last June upon the formation of the current government, and whose party is currently leading in the polls.
It follows weeks of paralysis caused by the defection of two right-wing government lawmakers and frequent rebellions by three others, removing the coalition's majority in Parliament and making it hard to govern, reported NYT.
Expected to be held in the fall, the election will be Israel's fifth since April 2019. It comes at an already tense time for the country, after a rise in Palestinian attacks on Israelis put pressure on the government, and amid an escalation in a shadow war between Israel and Iran.
The terms of the current coalition agreement dictate that in the event that right-wing defections prompt early elections, Yair Lapid, the foreign minister and a centrist former broadcaster, would take over as interim prime minister while Prime Minister Naftali Bennett would step aside.
If that agreement is honoured, Lapid will lead the government for at least several months, through the election campaign and the protracted coalition negotiations likely to follow, reported NYT.
The government was fragile, to begin with because of the ideological incompatibility of its eight constituent parties -- a fractious alliance of right-wing, left-wing, secular, religious and Arab groups that joined forces only last June after four inconclusive elections in two years had left Israel without a state budget or a functional government.
The coalition was cohesive enough to pass a new budget, Israel's first in more than three years; make key administrative appointments; and deepen Israel's emerging relationships with key Arab states.
But its members clashed regularly over the rights of Israel's Arab minority, the relationship between religion and state, and settlement policy in the occupied West Bank -- clashes that ultimately led two key members to defect, and others to vote against government bills, reported NYT.
The coalition's members agreed to team up last year only because of a shared desire to oust Netanyahu, the right-wing former prime minister.
Netanyahu's refusal to resign despite standing trial for corruption had alienated many of his natural allies on the right, leading some of them to ally with their ideological opponents to remove him from office. (ANI)Get a daily dose of Israel Herald news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Israel Herald.
More InformationDHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
PARIS, France: A strike by French air traffic controllers demanding improved working conditions caused significant disruptions during...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...
NEW YORK, New York - Monday's trading session saw mixed performances across U.S. and global markets, with several major indices posting...