Israel Parliament dissolves as it gears up for elections

JERUSALEM – Israel’s Parliament voted to dissolve itself early on July 17 as the country gears up for October elections, wrapping up a last-minute legislative blitz by the government aimed at pleasing allies.

The vote, endorsed by 62 of the Knesset’s 120 members, clears the way for polls on Oct 27 in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seeking another term despite waning popularity.

His government has pushed through a number of contentious Bills in recent days aimed at shoring up its position and satisfying allies in Israel’s ultra-Orthodox community.

The ruling coalition passed a ream of Bills in a marathon final session, including legislation stripping powers from the attorney-general, freezing arrests of draft dodgers, and expanding government oversight of the media.

With the Bill that gave the green light to its dissolution, it also approved an increase in funding for political parties.

Despite the vote to dissolve, the Knesset’s legal adviser Sagit Afik said the Chamber can continue to operate for around 10 more days because a law confirming the election date was sent back to a committee following parliamentary deadlock.

But the wrangling will not prevent the end of the parliamentary term.

Speaker of Parliament Amir Ohana closed the late-night session on July 17 into July 18 by recalling Israel’s trials in the legislative term.

“This session was marked by all kinds of protests – it coincided with the toughest and longest war in the country’s history,” Ohana said.

On the coming elections, he said “we are heading towards a battle of ideas which, by its nature, is characterised by increasingly sharpened positions”.

Netanyahu, 76, is Israel’s longest-serving prime minister but now finds himself in a weakened position.

Polls show a majority of Israelis want him to step down, driven by anger over security failures surrounding the Oct 7, 2023 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot appears to be his main rival at the ballot box. AFP