Israel’s parliament takes first step toward dissolution

Israel has taken a step towards possible early elections after both coalition and opposition lawmakers supported a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset in a preliminary vote on May 20.

A total of 110 members of the Knesset voted in favour of advancing the measure, marking the start of a legislative process that could ultimately lead to fresh elections, Caliber.Az reports, citing Ynet.

A separate dissolution bill submitted by the Blue and White party also passed its preliminary reading, with backing from ultra-Orthodox parties, which are pushing for early elections amid a deadlock over a military draft exemption bill.

The legislation now moves to the Knesset House Committee before returning to the plenum for its first reading. It must then undergo further committee scrutiny ahead of second and third readings, at which point an election date would be set.

In parallel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking to prevent the government’s collapse by reviving efforts to pass the draft exemption bill, in an attempt to retain the support of ultra-Orthodox factions within his coalition.

Coalition chairman MK Ofir Katz criticised the opposition during the debate, saying: “I don’t understand why the opposition is holding press conferences. You caused the coalition to grow from 64 to 68. We are completing a full right-wing term, a record nine budgets, 520 laws passed. For four years, we played against an empty goal.”

In practice, two parallel political tracks are now unfolding in the Knesset: one advancing the dissolution process, and another focused on Netanyahu’s efforts to maintain coalition stability through negotiations with ultra-Orthodox parties.

The passage of the Blue and White bill has also given ultra-Orthodox factions a procedural route to align with the opposition in advancing dissolution, outside direct coalition control.

Even after the preliminary approvals, the timing of any potential election remains unclear, with options ranging from September to late October, depending on how the legislative process develops.

Netanyahu is reportedly seeking to secure passage of the draft exemption bill in order to persuade ultra-Orthodox parties to withdraw their demand for early elections, aiming to preserve a unified governing bloc.

Tensions within the coalition have intensified following comments by Rabbi Dov Landau, a senior ultra-Orthodox figure, who said “there is no bloc anymore”, alongside signals that ultra-Orthodox parties could consider post-election negotiations with opposition forces if the right fails to secure a majority.

Against this backdrop, Netanyahu has held meetings with undecided coalition lawmakers in an effort to secure support or abstentions on the draft exemption bill. Political officials say some wavering MPs could still shift their position in the coming votes.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov