Israel’s government gives up. On Monday evening, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Foreign Minister Jair Lapid agreed to dissolve parliament and hold new elections soon. As agreed in the coalition agreement, Lapid is to take over the office of prime minister from Bennett and hold it until a new government is formed. The colorful coalition of right-wing, left-wing and an Arab party formed last summer collapsed after just over a year.
The announcement of the dissolution of the Knesset by vote next week marks the end of weeks of political agony. The coalition had already lost its majority in April with the departure of a deputy from Bennett’s right-wing Jamina party. Since then, there has been a stalemate in parliament by 60 to 60 votes. This had repeatedly tempted members of parliament from various coalition parties to blackmail the government with threats of withdrawal. Now Bennett and Lapid have pulled the ripcord together. Commenting on his previous effort in an emotional press conference, Bennett said he had “turned every stone” to save the government. “We have now made a tough decision,” he said, “but this was the best thing for the country.”
The goal announced when the government was formed, namely to bring stability back to Israel’s politics, has failed. Before the coalition was formed, the country had gone through a period of political deadlock with four elections in two years. The main reason for this was the long-term Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was fighting for his power under pressure from a corruption process that was still ongoing. But now, in all likelihood, a new vote will have to be taken on October 25th.
Netanyahu, who as opposition leader kept the government under constant pressure, already sees a chance of a speedy return to power. Polls show his Likud party is on the rise. However, it is unclear whether, together with his partners in the right-wing and religious camp, he will actually be able to form a majority to form a government. If not, the round of elections that began three years ago could continue indefinitely. However, it cannot be completely ruled out that Netanyahu will win enough MPs over his side in the days before the planned vote on the dissolution of the Knesset to form a new right-wing government under his leadership in the existing parliament.
Bennett had actually pulled off a remarkable balancing act
The collapse of the government is particularly bitter for Bennett, who has managed a remarkable balancing act over the past year. His Jamina party, whose electoral clientele consists mainly of national-religious settlers, initially only had six seats in parliament. Because of their cooperation with the left-wing parties and the Arab Raam party, these MPs were under enormous pressure from the start and were insulted as traitors.
According to Israeli media reports, Bennett and Lapid also surprised political partners by agreeing to dissolve the Knesset. Bennett is said to have not even discussed this step with his own party friends. Defense Minister Benny Gantz of the Blue and White Alliance called it a “shame” that Israel is now again facing early parliamentary elections.
Rumor has it that Bennett is now even considering a complete retirement from politics. His government partner Lapid has already counteracted this and combined his thanks for the cooperation with the indication that Bennett will certainly continue to be active “in the leadership of this country for many years to come”. In any case, Bennett is likely to miss a planned highlight of his term in office: When US President Joe Biden visits Israel in mid-July, he will probably be received by Prime Minister Jair Lapid as things stand.