After Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s fragile ruling coalition came under increasing strain, Israeli MPs will vote next week to dissolve parliament, paving the stage for the country’s sixth election in three years.
Bennett will stand down and be replaced by Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, his partner in the unusual coalition of opposites that brought previous Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s record 12-year rule to an end a year ago.
Until new elections can be held, Lapid, a former journalist who leads the coalition’s largest party, will serve as interim prime minister.
“We are here before you today at a difficult moment, but with the understanding that we made the correct decision for Israel,” Bennett said as he stood alongside Lapid in a televised statement.
According to Bennett’s spokesperson, a vote will be taken in parliament next week, after which Lapid will take over as premier.
The action comes only weeks before US President Joe Biden’s planned visit, which the government had hoped would assist strengthen regional security relations against Israel’s longtime foe Iran.
However, the eight-party coalition, which includes hard-right, liberal, and Arab parties with significant divisions on issues ranging from religion to the Palestinian conflict, has been strained as defections have reduced its slim majority.
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