MKs advance bill to dissolve Knesset and potentially trigger elections, but no date set; elections must in any case be held by Oct. 27

Lawmakers vote 110-0 in favor of a preliminary reading of a government-backed bill to dissolve the Knesset, potentially triggering slightly earlier elections if ultimately passed into law.

The vote comes after the coalition failed to pass legislation codifying military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not attend the vote, instead reportedly holding security discussions.

Following the vote, Yesh Atid MK Merav Ben Ari screams out the “shechiyanu” blessing recited by Jews on joyous occasions.

Coalition whip Ofir Katz says the “coalition has served its purpose.”

“We have passed nine budgets in this term and 520 laws. Regarding the conscription law, we will bring a law that comes through dialogue and meets the needs of the IDF,” Katz says. “The value of Torah study must be maintained, and at the same time, those who do not study will enlist.”

The dissolution bill does not specify an election date, instead stipulating that it be set by the Knesset House Committee on a day no less than three months from the legislation’s final approval.

The timeline for passing the bill remains unclear: the legislation could be pushed swiftly through the Knesset in the coming days, or delayed by political machinations.

Thirteen separate bills to dissolve the Knesset, sponsored by both opposition and coalition lawmakers, are on today’s plenum agenda. The various bills will likely be combined before being sent to committee for deliberations ahead of the next of the three Knesset readings it must pass before becoming law.

Elections must be held within five months of the law’s passing, which would mean mid- to late-October at the latest. The Haredi parties reportedly favor an election date in early September. Elections must, in any case, be held by October 27.