Israeli lawmakers have voted to advance a bill submitted by the ruling coalition of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which would dissolve parliament and pave the way for early elections.
In a preliminary reading on Wednesday, 110 out of 120 lawmakers voted in favour and none against, while the rest did not cast their vote.
The bill will now pass to a committee before three more parliamentary readings.
If the bill is ultimately approved, it would automatically trigger elections to be held after 90 days. Polls are currently scheduled to take place by the end of the legislative term on October 27.
Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties, while his fractious right-wing coalition appears to be facing possible collapse.
Ultra-Orthodox parties accuse Netanyahu of failing to deliver on his promise to pass legislation that would permanently exempt young men of their community from compulsory military service if they are studying in yeshivas, or religious seminaries.
Netanyahu’s coalition ‘faltering’
“The dissolution of the Knesset, approved in a preliminary reading this Wednesday, could still be suspended if the exemption (for ultra-Orthodox students) passed beforehand,” said Myriam Shermer, an Israeli political columnist specialising in elections.
“All of this could once again be turned upside down if military operations resumed in Iran, suspending the electoral calendar. But in the meantime, Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition seems to be seriously faltering,” Shermer told AFP.
Sensing an opportunity amid the turmoil, several opposition parties announced earlier this month that they intended to introduce their own bills to dissolve the Knesset.
On Wednesday, coalition chairman Ofir Katz said: “This coalition has completed its days.”
“This is the only opposition that caused the coalition to grow. In this term, we passed nine budgets and 520 laws,” he added.
The bill does not set a date for elections, which would be fixed during the committee stage.
‘Election campaign has begun’
Netanyahu “doesn’t want elections to be close to October 7”, said Gideon Rahat, political science professor at Hebrew University, referring to the date when Hamas resistance fighters attacked Israel in 2023.
