Israel plans to hold a fifth general election within four years of concluding that the collapsed coalition government will not survive.
In important policymaking, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett will exchange places with Deputy Prime Minister Yale Rapid under the existing agreement.
The election could take place in late October, according to commentators.
Former Prime Minister and current leader of the opposition, Benjamin Netanyahu, has announced his return.
Monday’s announcement came after weeks of speculation that the most diverse coalitions in Israel’s history are on the verge of collapse. It risked losing a major vote next week after Bennett’s own right-wing Yamina party members left the coalition and left it to the 120-seat Knesset minority.
Bennett said the dissolution of the Knesset extended a temporary law that put the vote at risk and made a “right decision” for the security of Israel.
The coalition has been declining for weeks. Last week, Yamina MK Nir Orbach resigned from the government, saying the government had failed its main mission of “raising the spirit of [Israel].” Others were also threatening the rebellion. The announcement on Monday night surprised government members. The Times of Israel quoted sources that neither the Defense Minister nor the Interior Minister was aware of the decision.
The bill to dissolve the Knesset will be voted next week. If things go as expected, Mr Bennett will give way to centrist politician Yale Rapid and become interim prime minister.
The two men formed a coalition just over a year ago after a series of uncertain elections that expelled Israel’s longest-serving leader, Netanyahu. The coalition was formed from eight political parties from the entire political spectrum, united only by the desire of Mr Netanyahu to make it impossible to form a government.
Netanyahu, who is currently being tried on charges of corruption, which he denies, said this was “great news for millions of Israeli citizens.”
“This government will return,” he said, adding that it would form a “broad national government” led by the Likud Party.
Opinion polls by Israel’s Channel 12 TV last week showed that Netanyahu’s block won the most seats in the general election, but still less than half.
