Israeli Parliament to Dissolve Itself, Early Elections Possible

The Israeli Parliament, the Knesset, approved the first reading of a bill to dissolve itself on Monday evening, a move that could pave the way for early elections. According to reports from Channel 12, 106 out of 120 Knesset members voted in favour of the bill, with no members opposing it.

This approval marks the initial step in a legislative process that could end the parliament’s term before the originally scheduled election date. The Israeli news site Walla reported that the bill includes the possibility of holding elections between 8 September and 20 October. However, differing views regarding the timing of the election persist among political parties. The ultra-Orthodox Shas party is pushing for elections to be held on 15 September, whereas the Likud party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, seeks to delay them until the end of the current parliamentary term.

Israeli legislative elections were originally scheduled for 27 October. However, pressure to hold them earlier has intensified following the government’s failure to pass legislation exempting ultra-Orthodox Jews from military service obligations. Under Israeli law, the bill to dissolve parliament must still pass three readings before being enacted into law. Following the first reading approval, the bill will return to the Knesset committee to be prepared for second and third readings, which will also involve setting the official election date.