Israel set for general election after vote to dissolve parliament

Collapse of coalition raises possibility of Netanyahu’s comeback as leader

Israel’s Knesset sets stage for snap election after lawmakers vote to dissolve parliament (EPA)

Israel has set the stage for its fifth election in less than four years after lawmakers unaninimously voted to dissolve the country’s parliament, the Knesset, by midnight on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett moved last week to dissolve parliament after “attempts to stabilise the coalition had been exhausted” following a host of internal rifts.

Once the call for an election gets the Knesset’s final approval, Israel‘s centre-left foreign minister, Yair Lapid, will take over from Mr Bennett as prime minister of a caretaker government with limited powers.