Death by a Thousand Cuts  

But after being born with congenital defects in the shape of irreconcilable coalitions partners, and suffering through a torturous political lifespan punctuated by frequent close calls, the funeral cortege for this perpetually flawed coalition has almost reached its final destination.

In a move that stunned Israel’s jaded political system, co-prime ministers Naftali Bennet and Yair Lapid — who’d spent weeks reacting to events like punch-drunk boxers — seized the initiative by announcing a vote to dissolve the Knesset and pave the way for fresh elections in October, Israel’s fifth in three and a half years.

The agreement between Bennett and Lapid hands the latter the prime minister’s office — a post many had thought permanently beyond his reach — completing Bennett’s betrayal of his voters, after promising them that he’d never serve under the former TV anchor, a heavyweight of Israel’s center-left.

Israel is now so deep into uncharted political waters that no one can say what really lies ahead. But the slow-motion collapse that this government has undergone, including the blindsiding of senior partners like Benny Gantz and Ayelet Shaked, will be analyzed by pundits for what it says about the road ahead.