The coalition's bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its preliminary reading on Wednesday in the plenum with a large majority of 110 lawmakers in favor, and none against, amid the crisis in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties over the controversial haredi draft bill.
The passage of the Knesset dissolution bill begins the process of moving the election date forward slightly from October 27. Netanyahu did not arrive at the Knesset to attend the vote.
The bill was submitted last week by coalition whip Ofir Katz and had the backing of coalition factions. It will be brought to the Knesset’s House Committee for debate and will need to pass a total of three readings to come into effect.
The bill proposes determining the election date in committee debates.
Even if elections are moved forward from the current scheduled date of October 27, they cannot take place in August because at least 90 days must pass after a Knesset dissolution bill is approved before elections can be held.
This means the election date could be moved up to either September or mid-October.
Controversial haredi draft bill returned for debate
Parties in the opposition had brought forward several separate Knesset dissolution bills of their own, which continued to be brought to a vote after the coalition’s proposal passed.
The coalition’s submission of its own dissolution bill has been viewed as a way for Netanyahu to control the pace and timing of the elections, as it grants the government greater control over the process.
Two of the opposition bills were passed in their preliminary reading as well, with the support of some haredi lawmakers.
Haredi parties voting in favor of some of the opposition’s bills further reflects the tensions between them and Netanyahu’s coalition.
The various dissolution bills will most likely be merged into a single bill.
Katz said at the opening of the dissolution vote that the “coalition has served its full term.”
Opposition party leaders and lawmakers celebrated the dissolution bill’s passage in its preliminary reading.
The left-wing Democrats party said that it was “the beginning of the end of the worst government in Israel’s history.”
Former prime minister Naftali Bennett, a leading rival candidate in the upcoming elections against Netanyahu, said that the “era of draft evasion is over.”
He also announced that he would be coming to the Knesset and added that “a great correction was on the way.”
Bennett then held a press conference at the Knesset, in his first public visit to the building since leaving politics in 2022.
The coalition tensions began on Tuesday last week after Netanyahu told the haredi parties that the draft legislation did not currently have enough support within the coalition to pass. This led the parties to push for the Knesset’s dissolution.
Degel Hatorah’s spiritual leader wrote in a letter to the faction’s Knesset members that, “We no longer have trust in Netanyahu.”
Ahead of the vote, the controversial haredi draft bill returned to the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for debate early Wednesday morning.
Pushing to move forward with the draft bill, after progress on it was halted, was seen as Netanyahu’s final effort to persuade the haredi parties not to vote in favor of dissolving the Knesset.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel (New Hope-United Right) told The Jerusalem Post on Sunday that coalition lawmakers were under “massive pressure” from Netanyahu’s coalition to support the haredi draft legislation.
Despite plans to resume advancement of the draft bill, Degel Hatorah spiritual leader Rabbi Dov Lando and MK Moshe Gafni met on Sunday evening and stated that their position in favor of dissolving the Knesset remained unchanged.
Lando’s spokesperson told the Post on Wednesday that his stance to dissolve the Knesset was the same.
The haredi draft bill currently being advanced in the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee remains highly controversial. Critics argue that the legislation is primarily intended to appease the haredi parties in Netanyahu’s coalition and would do little to increase enlistment. A group of coalition MKs has vowed not to vote for it for that reason.
The IDF has repeatedly warned of an urgent manpower shortage, particularly after more than two years of war.
Urgent manpower shortage after more than two years of war
There are numerous reports that the haredi parties are seeking to set the election date in September, ahead of the High Holy Days, to increase haredi voter turnout.
Netanyahu reportedly opposed the move and instead sought to keep elections in late October, allowing the coalition more time to advance legislation during the Knesset’s final session and potentially achieve military goals.
The coalition has fast-tracked several controversial bills this week, scheduling marathon committee meetings to advance as much legislation as possible ahead of a potential Knesset dissolution.