Coalition whip Ofir Katz submitted a bill to dissolve the Knesset with the full backing of coalition faction leaders, he announced late on Wednesday, following the crisis in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition over the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) draft bill.
The passage of the bill could move up the election date, which is currently scheduled for October 27.
The bill stipulates that the election date would be held no earlier than three months after the legislation passes and would be determined in the Knesset House Committee.
Elections must take place no later than five months after the bill is approved.
The bill is expected to be brought for a preliminary reading next week. It was co-sponsored by lawmakers from Netanyahu’s coalition, which included MK Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism), Yinon Azoulay (Shas), Michel Buskila (New Hope-United Right), Ohad Tal (Religious Zionist Party), and Zvika Fogel (Otzma Yehudit).
The haredi faction, Degel Hatorah, had called to dissolve the Knesset over disagreements on the draft bill on Tuesday.
The opposition subsequently brought forward bills to dissolve the Knesset in an attempt to trigger early elections with the haredi parties’ support.
The coalition's bill to dissolve the Knesset has been seen as a way for Netanyahu to control the pace of the process and the date of the elections. With both the coalition and opposition supporting it, it is expected to pass in its preliminary reading.
Opposition bill was expected to be voted in preliminary reading next week
The opposition’s bill to dissolve the Knesset was expected to be brought for a vote in its preliminary reading next week on Wednesday, opposition coordinator MK Merav Ben-Ari’s (Yesh Atid) office told The Jerusalem Post earlier on Wednesday.
The tensions come as the Knesset opened its summer session on Sunday, following its recess, in its final summer term before elections.
There were reports last week that the haredi parties were seeking to move the election date up to September, ahead of the Jewish high holidays, and that Netanyahu opposed the change, aiming instead for the elections to remain in October.
Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of Degel Hatorah, which is a faction in United Torah Judaism, had written in a letter on Tuesday to its Knesset members that “We no longer have trust in Netanyahu.”
“Steps must be taken to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible. All kinds of talk about a ‘bloc’ no longer exist,” the letter added.
Lando’s letter came after it was reported that Netanyahu informed United Torah Judaism party representatives that there is no coalition majority to pass the controversial haredi conscription bill.
The haredi draft bill advanced in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC) is highly controversial. Critics argue that the legislation is primarily intended to appease the haredi parties in Netanyahu’s coalition and would not increase enlistment.
Several coalition lawmakers have stated that they oppose the bill’s current outline for that reason and will vote against it. The IDF has repeatedly warned of an urgent manpower shortage, especially after more than two years of war.
Former prime minister Nafali Bennett, and leading rival candidate against Netanyahu in the upcoming election, praised the possibility of dispersing the Knesset. He said that doing so would be” the only good thing this government has done for the people.”
“In recent years, Likud has become the executive arm of [Shas party leader Arye] Deri and [United Torah Judaism leader Yitzhak] Goldknopf, Bennett said.
“An alliance built on harming IDF soldiers is destined to collapse. That is what you are seeing now,” he added.
The remarks came on Tuesday, as Bennett outlined his plans for the country if elected alongside opposition Leader Yair Lapid, at the first major campaign event of their newly merged Together party.