After Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid announced Monday that they had decided to initiate the process of dissolving the government and holding a new election, responses came in fast and furious from across the political spectrum.
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Opposition Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu, who was unseated as prime minister just over a year ago when the Lapid-Bennett government was sworn in, described the imminent dissolution of parliament as "great tidings" for millions of Israelis, and he said he would form "a broad nationalist government headed by Likud" after the upcoming elections.
"A government that depended on supporters of terrorism, which abandoned the personal safety of Israeli citizens, which raised the cost of living to heights we haven't seen, which instated needless taxes, which put our country's Jewish character at risk – this government is going home," Netanyahu said.
Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar attacked his coalition colleagues, saying, "Just like I warned, the irresponsibility of some coalition members led to the inevitable result. The goal of the upcoming election is clear – to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power and locking the country into his personal interests."
Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said, "This government has succeeded above and beyond. This is a historic government that saved Israeli democracy. I'm proud of our part in it. We made an enormous effort to keep it in place. Its achievements will be remembered for many years. Meretz will continue to act on behalf of Israeli society, and in the upcoming election, we will fight for our values and our path. Be strong!"
MK Idit Silman, whose resignation from the coalition could be seen as the first nail in its coffin, said she "thanked God" for giving her the strength and courage to "do the right thing" and thereby be part of the establishment of a right-wing government.
MK Itamar Ben-Gvir welcomed the decision to dissolve the government: "This evening was wonderful news for the citizens of Israel. Finally, this dangerous government is going home. With God's help, we'll soon form a fully right-wing government that will restore security to the streets."
Head of the Ra'am Party, MK Mansour Abbas, said his party would like to be part of whatever coalition was formed in the next government.
Despite Abbas' remarks, high-ranking Ra'am members are reportedly already in contact with the Joint Arab List to reevaluate the possibility of the party returning to the united ticket for the upcoming election.
Officials in the Joint Arab List said the main condition for that scenario would be to leave Abbas off the list for the next Knesset. In any case, the Ra'am party constitution stipulates that all of its members are limited to two terms in the Knesset, so it is unclear whether Abbas would be able to serve as a Ra'am MK.
The Arab sector is divided over the decision to dissolve the Knesset and send the government home. While most Arab Israelis support integration into Israeli society, not all of them agree with Abbas breaking off from the Joint Arab List to join the coalition.
There is also concern that the Arab sector's lack of faith in their political representatives could lead to a drop in voter turnout.
As for what Bennett's political future might be, he is weighing retiring from politics, Israel National News reported. The report said he has told colleagues he intends to run "alone,: but would consider his next moves over the coming days.
Israel National News also reported that the announcement of the government's dissolution had caught Defense Minister Benny Gantz off guard. Gantz said it was "a pity" that the country had to face another election, and promised that the transition government would accomplish as much as possible.
International responses were also quick to flood in, warning that Israel was on the precipice of "chaos" and "collapse."
The New York Times' headline read: "Israel's Government Collapses, Setting up 5th Election in 3 Years."
The Associated Press covered the decision, saying that the next election could see the return of a nationalist-religious government under Netanyahu.
Iran's Tasnim news agency reported that "The Zionist prime minister admitted that the Zionist entity is in deep crisis and understood that Israel is entering a period of political chaos."
Neta Bar and Damian Pachter contributed to this report.
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