MKs advance bill to dissolve Knesset and potentially move up elections to September

Lawmakers vote 106-0 in favor of the first reading of a coalition bill to dissolve the Knesset, potentially triggering early elections, following a lengthy debate through Monday night and into early Tuesday.

The bill, which must pass three readings in the plenum to become law, was approved for its first reading in the Knesset House Committee on Monday and immediately referred to the plenum for a vote.

Due to internal coalition disagreements, committee chairman and coalition whip Ofir Katz advanced the bill without specifying a date for elections, stating that it would only be inserted into the legislation prior to its final two readings. In the meantime, Katz only said that the range of dates will be somewhere between September 8 and October 20.

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

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly urged the ultra-Orthodox parties not to force early elections in September, warning in private conversations that such a timeline would “endanger” his right-wing bloc’s chances of winning.

The legislation passed its preliminary reading 110-0 less than two weeks ago but was not immediately advanced further, with the coalition initially appearing to be in no rush to pass it.

The decision to advance the bill came after Netanyahu’s erstwhile allies in the United Torah Judaism party announced they would push to dissolve the Knesset over the coalition’s failure to pass legislation codifying military conscription exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students.