According to information from government circles, Israel is once again facing new elections. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Jair Lapid announced on Monday that they will introduce a bill to dissolve Parliament next week. All “attempts to stabilize the coalition” have been “exhausted”, he said.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told a news conference Monday night that the coalition wants the Knesset to vote on the bill next week. Until a new government is sworn in, current Foreign Minister Jair Lapid is expected to assume the post of prime minister.
According to media reports, the election could take place at the end of October – it would be the fifth in three and a half years.
Bennett cited the failure of a parliamentary vote on the continued application of Israeli law to Israeli settlers in the Occupied Palestinian Territories as the main reason for the decision. The eight-party coalition failed to secure a majority for the vote.