The dissolution of the legislature and the calling of fresh elections by Israel's coalition government on Monday opened the door for either former prime leader Benjamin Netanyahu's potential comeback to power or yet another protracted period of political stalemate.
Israel will hold its fifth election in three years, and the divisive Netanyahu, who served as the opposition leader last year, will once again be the center of the political universe.
I sense it, said Netanyahu, "I think the winds have changed.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a nationally broadcast news conference that while dissolving the cabinet wasn't simple, it was "the right decision for Israel."
In accordance with a deal they both announced, Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid will replace Bennett temporarily.
Lapid declared that he wouldn't wait for a fresh election before addressing Israel's issues.
Hezbollah, Iran, and Hamas are all threats to Israel's democracy, therefore we must fight them head-on and address the expense of living, he said.
Since taking office a year ago, Bennett has battled to keep his fractious coalition of eight parties together. As a result of defections, the alliance has been without a majority in parliament for more than two months.
After four unsuccessful elections, a coalition was established
After four consecutive close elections, Bennett put together the eight-party coalition in June 2021.
It includes a wide range of parties, from hardline groups that reject Palestinian statehood to dovish groups that advocate ending Israel's occupation of territories it took in 1967. By include an Arab party for the first time in an Israeli coalition government, it created history.
The partnership accomplished a number of things, including approving the country's first budget in a number of years and surviving two coronavirus outbreaks without implementing any lockdowns.
But eventually it fell apart, mostly as a result of Bennett's hardline party's opposition to what they saw as compromises he made to maintain the coalition and his perceived moderation.
The rules granting settlers of the occupied West Bank special legal status are poised to expire, which was Bennett's urgent basis for action. Many of the military laws that are applied to the more than two million Palestinians living in the area would be enforced on settlers if those laws were to expire.
Earlier this month, a vote in parliament was scheduled to extend the laws. However, the staunch opposition, which was predominately made up of pro-settlers, strangely voted against the bill to put the administration in a bad light.
Members of the coalition who generally reject the settlements voted in favour of the bill in hopes of keeping the government afloat.
Potential return to power
The election could potentially offer an opportunity for former prime minister Netanyahu to return to power.
Between 2019 through 2021, Israel held a series of unproductive elections that largely served as a vote on his capacity to manage while facing corruption charges. Netanyahu disputes the accusations.
According to opinion polls, Netanyahu's conservative Likud will once again be the largest party. However, it is still uncertain if he would be able to secure the support of enough lawmakers to establish a new administration.
Netanyahu has mocked Bennett, a former close aide, saying last week that his government had been holding "one of the longest funerals in history."