Israeli opposition sets bill to dissolve Knesset, trigger early elections

JERUSALEM / ISTANBUL

The Israeli Knesset (parliament) is set to vote on Wednesday on a draft bill introduced by opposition parties to dissolve the assembly.

In a statement, the opposition parties said their decision to place the bill to dissolve the Knesset was “made unanimously and is binding on all factions.”

“In addition, in coordination between all factions, it was decided to remove opposition legislation from the agenda in order to concentrate all efforts on one goal: to overthrow the government,” the statement reads.

Supporters of the bill seek to gain the backing of the ultra-Orthodox parties for the Knesset dissolution to trigger early elections.

The opposition has already won the support of the United Torah Judaism (UTJ) bloc, which has seven seats in the 120-seat Knesset, for the bill.

It remains unclear if the Shas Party, which holds 11 seats in the Knesset, will back the bill.

Israeli Channel 13 reported earlier that Shas will vote to dissolve the Knesset in the bill’s preliminary reading over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s failure to pass legislation exempting Haredi Jews from mandatory military service.

The governing coalition currently holds 68 seats and needs at least 61 to remain in power.

Ultra-Orthodox communities continue to protest against military service following a June 25, 2024 Supreme Court ruling obliging them to enlist and prohibiting financial support for religious institutions whose students refuse to serve.

Haredim account for about 13% of Israel’s 10 million citizens. They oppose military service on religious grounds, arguing that studying the Torah is their primary duty and that integration into secular society threatens their religious identity and community cohesion.

The bill comes as the Israeli army continued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 55,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children.

The Israeli opposition has accused Netanyahu of prolonging the Gaza war to appease his far-right coalition partners and maintain power.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.