Israeli parliament advances bill to dissolve itself and trigger early elections

Israeli parliament advances bill to dissolve itself and trigger early elections  Submitted by Nadav Rapaport on Tue, 06/02/2026 - 12:54 General vote could be held between 8 September and 20 October if the bill passes two further readings US President Donald Trump addresses the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, in Jerusalem on 13 October 2025 (Saul Loeb/AFP) Off The Israeli parliament has advanced a bill to dissolve itself, which could lead to elections as early as September. The bill, which was advanced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, passed its first reading late on Monday, with 106 lawmakers voting in favour, while no objections were recorded. According to Haaretz , the law, whose final approval is pending two further readings in the Knesset, opens the possibility of elections between 8 September and 20 October, altering the original date of the elections on 27 October.  The vote was triggered after Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of Degel HaTorah, one of the two ultra-Orthodox parties that compose the United Torah Judaism party, ordered his party's members to dissolve the Knesset. Lando's announcement came amid a growing ultra-Orthodox discontent with the government's failure to pass a comprehensive draft evasion law for ultra-Orthodox young men since the government took power in late 2022. The issue of the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the army become a key discussion point in Israel since the beginning of the genocide in the Gaza. Since Israel's independence in 1948, ultra-Orthodox men have largely been exempt from enlisting in the army. However, with Israel's ongoing wars in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon, army officials have warned that if...

Original source: Middle East Eye