If the Parliament adopts any of the motions to dissolve the chamber, the next elections will have to be scheduled within three to five months of the adoption of such an act. Regardless, according to the current electoral calendar, the next elections in Israel should be held on October 27.
Dispute over ultra-Orthodox Jews in the army
On Tuesday, the Banner of the Torah party, representing ultra-Orthodox Jews, announced that it would seek early elections. The group, which once supported the ruling coalition, decided on this move because it failed to pass a law exempting ultra-Orthodox people from military service, which is the main demand of this group.
After this announcement, representatives of various opposition groups began to submit motions to dissolve parliament.
The coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu currently has 60 seats in the 120-seat chamber. So far, she has managed to secure a majority of votes thanks to the support of, among others, Banner of the Torah, which is not officially part of the coalition.
On Wednesday morning, the coalition withdrew all its motions from the agenda. This was explained by the fear of maintaining the majority. In the evening, Netanyahu's party, Likud, announced its own bill to dissolve parliament, which was supported by all coalition partners. The motion is scheduled to be voted on by the chamber next week.
In addition to Likud, Netanyahu's coalition also includes four other parties, including one religious party (Shas) and two extremely nationalist groups (Jewish Power and Religious Zionism).
