The Israeli Knesset Approves Its Own Dissolution and Timely Elections

SadaNews Translation - The plenary session of the Israeli Knesset approved in the early hours of Friday its own dissolution after a series of laws agreed upon among coalition parties and partially with the opposition were approved.

Sixty-two members voted in favor of a law to finance Israeli parties without opposition, which includes a clause to dissolve the 25th Knesset and hold new elections on October 27th.

Hours before the vote, Aryeh Deri, head of the Shas party, rejected support for the law unless the opposition joined the coalition and voted in favor of it. Since the law required a majority of 61 members in the Knesset and included a condition to dissolve the Knesset on July 17th, the coalition feared that the law would not pass, and that the Knesset might continue its work for another week.

Due to the explanation provided by the Knesset's legal advisor, had no other date been specified in the law or the Knesset's decision, the Knesset would have had to dissolve 90 days before the election, meaning on July 24th. This scenario would have allowed the coalition to complete additional legislative procedures during the upcoming week.

With this vote, the current Israeli government coalition has succeeded in completing a full four years in power, an achievement that has not occurred in Israel since 1998, where no government has maintained its presence throughout its four-year term.