Ministers again push off decision on further delaying local elections

After meeting today to discuss further delaying municipal elections scheduled for late January, as advocated by the coalition’s far-right Religious Zionism party, government ministers vote to again push off a decision on the matter and punt responsibility to the army.

A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says ministers unanimously backed his proposal to have the Israel Defense Forces notify the government which of the 2,189 candidates currently serving in the reserves “cannot be discharged, and a breakdown of the local authorities in which there are candidates who cannot be discharged.”

The Prime Minister’s Office says ministers will convene again next week to decide on a date, once they “have the complete data from the IDF.”

Elections were postponed from October 31 to January 30, due to the war.