The Knesset Votes on a Preliminary Basis to Dissolve Itself Amid Escalating Disputes

SadaNews: The Knesset is expected to hold a session today, Wednesday, to vote on a preliminary reading of a series of bills aimed at dissolving the parliament, amidst escalating disputes within the governing coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the worsening crisis related to the exemption of Haredim from military service.

According to "Haaretz" newspaper, a source in the "Degel HaTorah" party confirmed that the party will also support the bills proposed by the opposition to dissolve the Knesset, explaining that the party "is well aware of all of Netanyahu's maneuvers" and seeks to push for early elections "as soon as possible," predicting that they will take place on September 1.

The same source indicated that the "Shas" party is pressing to set the election date for September 15, adding that the party does not understand the reasons for "Shas"'s insistence on this date, amidst suspicions of coordination between party leader Aryeh Deri and Netanyahu. It was also clarified that "Shas"'s stance regarding support for the opposition's proposals to dissolve the Knesset has not yet been finalized.

This position comes at a time when political pressures on the government are increasing, with ongoing disputes within the Haredi parties and the coalition regarding various internal issues.

If the bills are approved in the preliminary reading, they will be referred to one of the Knesset's committees for discussion before being brought up for the first reading, which may pave the way for a legislative process leading to early elections.

Meanwhile, Netanyahu continues his efforts to prevent the dissolution of the Knesset, insisting on holding elections on their originally scheduled date at the end of October, by continuing negotiations with the Haredi parties to persuade them to delay the move to topple the government.

According to the interpretations in the Knesset, based on the decisions of the parliament's legal advisor, if the Knesset is dissolved after the law for dissolution is approved in the third reading, the passage of laws will later be limited to what is agreed upon among the political parties. Nonetheless, the Knesset can still pass controversial legislative proposals before reaching that stage, such as the proposal to separate the roles of the government legal advisor, which may be presented for the first reading, in addition to the media reform proposal up for the second and third readings.

In this context, a source in the "Degel HaTorah" party reported that the party is moving towards supporting both proposals, in line with its political positions amid the tense parliamentary scene.

Before the voting in the Knesset's general assembly, the parliamentary Foreign Affairs and Security Committee is scheduled to hold a session to discuss the exemption bill, which was reintroduced at Netanyahu's request in an attempt to meet the demands of the Haredi parties. Data indicates that the session will last only about one hour, despite no updated version of the bill having been published yet, although recent amendments have been made to it.

The last version of the bill was published in November 2025, while the last official discussion about it took place at the end of January, and since then it has not been brought up for discussion again, meaning it will require additional sessions to complete its preparation for the second and third readings. After completing this file, the committee will also discuss for an hour a bill related to the extension of regular military service.