Israeli lawmakers advance bill to dissolve parliament

Netanyahu is under mounting pressure as his fractious right-wing coalition has submitted the bill to dissolve parliament.

Israeli lawmakers have voted to advance a bill that 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 votes.

The bill will now pass to a committee before three more parliamentary readings. If it receives final approval, a process that could take weeks, it would trigger an election within 90 days. Polls are currently set to be held before the end of the legislative session on October 27.

Prime Minister Benjamin 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 exempt young men of their community from mandatory military service. 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 now heads to the committee, where an election date is agreed upon, before going back to the Knesset for final ⁠approval.

The vote comes at a pivotal time for Netanyahu, ⁠Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who leads the most right-wing government in the country’s history. Israel has been at war on multiple fronts in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran, while many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failure that enabled the Hamas-led attacks on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Israel responded with its genocidal war against Palestinians in Gaza.

“These are the October 7 elections, the elections in which the Israeli public will send home the government of negligence that brought upon us the greatest disaster in the state’s history,” Yair Golan, head of left-wing party the Democrats, wrote on X.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu also faces a long-running corruption trial, while Israel’s President Isaac Herzog is mediating talks to broker a plea ⁠deal that could see ⁠the 76-year-old leader retire from politics altogether as part of the agreement.