Israeli government overthrown: Netanyahu hopes to return to power with appointment of Lapid as interim prime minister

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Deputy Prime Minister Yair Lapid said Monday night that they are dissolving the 24th Knesset in a big announcement that will take Israelis to the polls in their fifth election in three years.

According to Hebrew media reports, the coalition will submit a bill on Wednesday that would dissolve the Knesset.

According to the coalition agreement signed between Bennett and Lapid, Lapid will serve as interim prime minister in the interim government until elections are held at the end of October.

Bennett said the dramatic decision, taken for weeks without a bill, was “in the interest of the country”.

“We are meeting at a very difficult time today, but we understand that we made the right decision for Israel,” he said at a Monday night press conference with Lapid.

The decision was made because the government failed to pass a major bill that would expand civil rights to Israeli residents in the West Bank.

The opposition, led by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while ideologically in favor, hampered the initial vote on the bill because they wanted to overthrow the government at any cost.

If the bill is not passed by July 1, the consequences will be dire and Israel will have to pay a heavy price for security.

About half a million Israelis living in the West Bank will not be subject to Israeli law and will not have the right to vote. Israelis who commit crimes in these areas will be brought before military courts and imprisoned in the West Bank.

In addition, Israeli police will no longer have the authority to investigate Israeli settlers suspected of committing crimes, and will no longer have the authority to investigate Israelis, including Arab citizens of Israel who committed crimes in Israel and then fled to the West. Banks.

“I did not agree to harm Israel’s security,” Bennett said on Monday night.

Summing up the last year of his reign, the outgoing prime minister said: “We formed a government that many thought impossible. We brought Israel out of the terrible hole it was in. A year ago, there was widespread unemployment, a huge deficit, riots, rockets in Jerusalem. He was paralyzed by the government. We have established a government with the help of Allah,” he said.

Lapid said the difficult decision to dissolve the Knesset was proof that Israel “desperately needs profound change”.

“We must return to the place of unity and not let the forces of darkness drive us from within. We need to remind ourselves that we love each other, that we love our country, and that we can only win by working together.”