The Knesset on Thursday morning voted to dissolve itself with a vote of 92-0, launching Israel’s 5th election in three and a half years and ending Israel’s 24th Knesset after just over a year.

The vote, which was originally slated to take place on Wednesday night at midnight, was delayed until Thursday morning due to political squabbles.

A small ceremony, without the media present, was held at the Prime Minister’s Office on Thursday afternoon to mark the handover of the premiership from Naftali Bennett to Yair Lapid. However, Lapid will only officially enter the position on Thursday night at midnight.

One of the disputes prior to the vote was over the election date, with the opposition supporting October 25, the last day of Bein HaZemanim, and the coalition pushing for November 1. A vote ended with 57 for November 1 versus 47, resulting in the next election officially scheduled for November 1.

Following the dissolution of the Knesset, Lapid, the son of a Holocaust survivor, made his first stop at Yad Vashem, saying: “Immediately after the vote, I traveled to Yad Vashem in order to promise Abba that I’ll always ensure a strong Israel that knows how to defend itself and ensure the welfare of its children.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)