Shortest-serving Israeli PM, Bennett likely to retire from politics as Knesset votes to dissolve

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the Knesset 110 to zero.

By World Israel News Staff

After the first of four votes to dissolve the Knesset passed on Wednesday, with its approval in a preliminary reading, it appears that Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not run in the upcoming elections, Hebrew-language news site N12 reported.

Lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to dissolve the Knesset 110 to zero.

Bennett’s closest confidants have advised him to resign after the move to dissolve the Knesset is completed, the report said.

According to the latest polls, Bennett’s Yamina party would win four seats – a bad starting point, his advisors noted.

Bennett, who attained the premiership a year ago in a deal with Yesh Atid party leader Yair Lapid, forming a diverse coalition ranging from the Ra’am Islamic party and far-left Meretz to the right-wing New Hope and Yamina, will end his term as the shortest-serving prime minister.

Lapid, now foreign minister and alternate prime minister, will take over the reins in a caretaker government until the upcoming October elections.

Dissolving the 24th Knesset was “the best decision to make for Israel,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said on Monday evening following the dramatic announcement that will see Israel headed to elections for the fifth time in 40 months.

According to polls, if elections were held today, Netanyahu’s Likud would emerge as the largest party in the 120-seat Knesset, but would not necessarily be able to form a government with the right-wing and religious parties. Such an outcome would be a repeat of the last four elections, which saw no clear victor and led to the wheeling and dealing in forming a government.

In fact, Bennett had a mere seven seats when he and Lapid formed the current government.