Bill to dissolve Knesset coming Monday

A bill to dissolve the Knesset and set early elections will be brought up for discussion next Monday. The motion has garnered the support of most of the coalition and opposition parties, with estimates putting a date for the next election within the next three to five months.

The vote on the bill was set for next week to allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to finish the traditional weeklong mourning period for his father, historian and Zionist leader Benzion Netanyahu, who died on Monday.

Currently, the next general elections are set for October 22, 2013. Dissolving the Knesset is required to enable early elections.

Labor chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich and Meretz chairwoman Zahava Gal-On will bring forward preliminary versions of the bill Monday. Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin indicated that the debate on the bill would be expedited, and that the final version could pass into law as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Netanyahu made headlines last week by calling for early elections. He suggested August 14 or September 4, with the latter believed to be the preferred date among most of the parties.

One of the main issues in setting a date for elections is the High Holiday period, which begins in mid-September and runs for about three weeks.

This is Israel’s 18th Knesset.