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Sunday, July 13, 2025
Lapid’s Yesh Atid begins collecting signatures for potential 2nd vote on dissolving Knesset
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party announces that it has begun the process of collecting 61 signatures in order to submit a so-called “change of circumstances” letter to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana requesting permission to hold a vote on dissolving the Knesset.
An opposition-backed bill to disperse the Knesset and call early elections failed to advance last month after ultra-Orthodox lawmakers backed away from threats to bring down the government over a deadlock in efforts to legislate exemptions from army service for the young men of their community.
Under parliamentary rules, because the legislation was defeated, lawmakers have to wait six months to bring another Knesset dissolution bill to a vote. However, according to the Knesset bylaws, a defeated bill can be submitted again for reconsideration before six months have passed if circumstances have changed significantly changed.
Such a move requires the support of Ohana, of the ruling Likud party, however, making it far from certain.
Yesh Atid does not immediately clarify on what grounds it is asserting that there has been a change of circumstances, although its announcement comes on the heels of a New York Times report that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prolonged the war against Hamas in order to stay in power.
The Times of Israel Community.