Israel moved closer on Wednesday to a snap election after lawmakers gave an initial nod to dissolve parliament, with opinion polls showing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would lose the first national vote since the 2023 Hamas attacks. <\/p>\n
Lawmakers voted almost unanimously for an early ballot in a preliminary reading of a bill to disband the 120-seat Knesset. <\/p>\n
If it receives final approval, a process \u200cthat could \u200ctake weeks, Israel could hold an election several \u200cweeks \u2060ahead of an \u2060October 27 deadline. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu’s own coalition submitted the bill to dissolve parliament after an ultra-Orthodox faction traditionally close to the Israeli leader accused him of failing to deliver on a promise to pass a law exempting their community from mandatory military service. <\/p>\n
NETANYAHU BEHIND IN POLLS <\/p>\n
Some 110 members of parliament voted in favor of \u2060the bill to dissolve, with no opponents or abstentions. \u200cIt now heads to committee where \u200can election date is agreed, before going back to the Knesset \u200cfor final approval. <\/p>\n
The vote comes at a pivotal time \u200cfor Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who leads the most right-wing government in his country’s history. Israel has been at war with Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Iran, fronts that remain volatile and could \u200chave an impact on the election. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu still faces a long-running corruption trial. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog \u2060is mediating \u2060talks to broker a plea deal in the case, which could see the 76-year-old Netanyahu retiring from politics as part of the deal. <\/p>\n
Netanyahu’s health could also be an issue. He recently disclosed that he was successfully treated for prostate cancer and in 2023 he was fitted with a pacemaker. <\/p>\n
Since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attacks on Israel, polls have consistently shown Netanyahu’s governing coalition falling far short of a parliamentary majority. <\/p>\n
However, there is also a chance that opposition parties will fail to form a coalition, leaving Netanyahu at the head of an interim government until the political stalemate is broken. <\/p>\n