Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ruling coalition has taken the first legislative step toward holding an early national election by moving to dissolve the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Multiple outlets report that lawmakers vote in an initial reading to break with the scheduled electoral timetable, and the bill is submitted to dissolve parliament. The coalition’s proposal is presented as a motion that, if it receives final approval, would bring the election forward from the current latest date of October 27.
One report says the coalition has signed the measure with leaders of its six parliamentary groups, and that it is expected to pass. Another notes lawmakers give an almost unanimous preliminary approval. While opinion polling cited by some sources indicates Netanyahu would lose the first national vote since the October 2023 Hamas attacks, those polls do not determine the election outcome, and an exact date is not set.
Several sources also describe the procedure as taking weeks if the bill clears final votes, meaning any election timing would depend on the legislative process rather than the preliminary vote alone.
