Former Yamina MK Yomtob Kalfon confirms that Yamina’s faction meeting was canceled this afternoon and the broader faction was not made aware of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s decision to dissolve the Knesset before he made it.
“We knew this was one of the possible scenarios, but there was no faction meeting today,” Kalfon says.
“It makes sense that he did this. It’s very military-like,” Kalfon adds. By dissolving the Knesset, Bennett joins a list of other prime ministers who left on their own terms, including David Ben Gurion and Ariel Sharon.
“It’s ‘I lead,’ not ‘I’m led,’” Kalfon says.
Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked was notified earlier today by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of the decision to dissolve the 24th Knesset, according to political sources. There was no prior consultation with her.
Bennett and Shaked have been close partners since entering politics almost a decade ago, but this development seems to indicate that their partnership may be coming to an end.
A source close to the matter says that part of Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s motivation for dissolving the Knesset of his own volition is that Yamina MK Nir Orbach has planned to vote to dissolve the Knesset, a move that the 59-member political minority cannot defend itself against.
Hebrew media reports indicate the most likely election date is October 25.
