Israelis are on another political rollercoaster today. This evening, President Reuven Rivlin announced he was handing Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid the mandate for composing the next government. This morning 56 Knesset members told the president they support Lapid for the job.

Rivlin made his decision after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to compose a majority-supported cabinet. Netanyahu’s mandate expired last night at midnight.

The drama has certainly taken a toll on Israelis and is far from over. It is not at all clear if Lapid will succeed at the task. In contrast, Netanyahu’s defeat is clear. Already last week Netanyahu looked closer than ever to losing his grip on power. His long stint in the government seemed to be coming to an end, though he continues to wield enormous power even at this low point. Making things even more dramatic, his impending political demise seems to be brought on by his former acolytes who have worked for him in different capacities as ministers and advisers. They had all admired him once and accepted him as their leader. Now they seem to be rising up against him.

The first member of the group was Netanyahu’s former confidant and political partner, Yisrael Beitenu chair Avigdor Liberman. He has been campaigning against Netanyahu more than two years now. Liberman was followed by New Hope chair Gideon Saar, another close Netanyahu ally who seems to have eventually gotten fed up with the prime minister.