Israeli lawmakers voted on Wednesday to advance a bill that would dissolve parliament and pave the way for early elections. In a preliminary reading, 110 out of 120 Knesset members voted in favor, none against, with the rest abstaining.

The bill now moves to a committee before undergoing three more readings. If approved, a process that could take weeks, elections would be held within 90 days. Current polls were scheduled before the end of the legislative session on October 27.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from ultra-Orthodox parties, while his fragile right-wing coalition appears on the verge of collapse. Ultra-Orthodox factions accuse Netanyahu of failing to deliver on a promise to exempt their young men from mandatory military service.

Coalition chairman Ofir Katz stated: “This coalition has completed its days.” He added, “This is the only opposition that caused the coalition to grow. In this term, we passed nine budgets and 520 laws.”

The vote comes at a pivotal time for Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister, who leads the most right-wing government in the country’s history. Israel is engaged in multiple-front wars in Gaza, Lebanon, and Iran, while many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failure that enabled the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2023.

“These are the October 7 elections, the elections in which the Israeli public will send home the government of negligence that brought upon us the greatest disaster in the state’s history,” wrote Yair Golan, head of the left-wing Democrats party, on X.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu faces a long-running corruption trial, and President Isaac Herzog is mediating talks for a plea deal that could see the 76-year-old leader retire from politics entirely.

Source: www.aljazeera.com