Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will not be a candidate in the next legislative elections, the fifth in less than four years in Israel, whose launch scheduled for Wednesday has been postponed.

"I have no intention of standing in the next elections, but I will remain a loyal soldier of this country, which I have served all my life as a soldier, officer, minister and prime minister," Naftali said. Bennett in a speech to the Knesset, parliament, confirming handing over leadership of his Yamina party to current interior minister Ayelet Shaked.

"In a short time, I will put an end to my post as Prime Minister of Israel and will hand over the pilgrim's staff to my friend, Yaïr Lapid (the current head of diplomacy, editor's note) whom I will continue to assist as needed in my role as alternate prime minister," he added.

In June 2021, Messrs.

Bennett and Lapid had written a page in the history of Israel by bringing together a coalition of eight parties (right, left, center), including for the first time an Arab formation, in order to cut short 12 years of uninterrupted power in Benjamin Netanyahu.

But a year later, the coalition has lost its majority in the chamber to the point where Naftali Bennett threw in the towel last week when he announced his intention to dissolve the chamber to call new elections.

Debates that dragged on

MKs agreed to pass a series of laws – Tuesday and Wednesday – before dissolving parliament late Wednesday night to prevent a provision protecting the more than 475,000 Israeli settlers living in the occupied West Bank from falling out of force .

In order to further weaken the government of Naftali Bennett, which had lost its majority, the opposition led by Benjamin Netanyahu had refused in early June to vote in favor of this law which it nevertheless defends.

However, this law must be renewed on June 30 or else settlers in the West Bank – Palestinian territory occupied by Israel since 1967 – risk losing their legal protection under Israeli law.

However, if Parliament is dissolved before or on this date, the law is automatically renewed.

But Wednesday evening, the debates to validate other bills dragged on in Parliament, right-wing elected officials accusing, among others, Arab deputies of wanting to slow down the legislative process so that the "law on the settlers" is not renewed at time.

To the point where the vote on the dissolution of Parliament was postponed until Thursday, several parliamentary sources told AFP on condition of anonymity, confirming information from the Israeli press.

Yair Lapid's mandate promises to be short and intense

This delay also postpones the entry on the scene of Yaïr Lapid as Prime Minister.

The coalition agreement provided for a sharing of power, including a clause according to which Yaïr Lapid ensured the interim until the formation of a new government in the event of dissolution of the Parliament.

“What we need today is to return to the concept of Israeli unity and not let the forces of darkness divide us,” Yair Lapid said last week, who will not have time to celebrate for long. his accession to the highest steps of Israeli power.

This former star journalist, who founded the centrist party "Yesh Atid" ("There is a future" in Hebrew) a decade ago, will have to quickly put his troops in battle order for the legislative elections, in addition to to be both Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs.

And it is he who will welcome US President Joe Biden to Israel for his first tour of the Middle East, in mid-July, since his arrival at the White House.

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app

google-play-badge_EN