![Israel's Yamina party leader, Naftali Bennett (L), smiles as he speaks to Yesh Atid party leader, Yair Lapid, during a special session of the Knesset, Israel's parliament, to elect a new president, in Jerusalem on June 2, 2021 [RONEN ZVULUN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images]](https://i0.wp.com/d2.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/GettyImages-1233227477-1.jpg?fit=920%2C613&ssl=1)
Israeli Prime Minister, Naftali Bennett, and Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, have agreed to dissolve parliament, triggering a new election, and Lapid will, in the meantime, take over as Prime Minister, an official said, confirming local media reports, Reuters reports.
A vote will be held in parliament next week, after which Lapid will take over the premiership, the official said. Lapid and Bennett were expected to issue statements at 8 pm (1800 GMT).
Lapid and Bennett, in June 2021, had formed an unlikely coalition after two years of political stalemate, ending the record reign of former Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
READ: Israel government closer to collapse after lawmaker quits
The government of right-wing, liberal and Muslim Arab parties was fragile from the start.
With a razor-thin parliamentary majority and divided on major policy issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and State and religion issues, the eight-faction alliance began to fracture when a handful of members abandoned the coalition.
The government’s parliamentary majority was soon lost.