Israel's parliament, the Knesset, dissolved early Friday, paving the way for elections scheduled for October 27. The premature end to the legislative session occurred after lawmakers passed a series of bills in marathon sessions during the final days of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
The Knesset was on the verge of its summer recess when the dissolution was finalized. The body will not reconvene before the upcoming elections. This development comes as Netanyahu faces challenges in maintaining his political power, with Israeli polls indicating growing support for opposition parties. These parties are reportedly led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and a centrist former military chief.
In the week leading up to the dissolution, the Knesset approved several controversial pieces of legislation. These included two bills aimed at deferring the military conscription of ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, a move seen as an effort to secure the participation of ultra-Orthodox parties in Netanyahu's next government. Additionally, lawmakers passed legislation related to Netanyahu's proposed judicial overhaul, which would increase government control over broadcast media and diminish the authority of the Attorney General. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has previously expressed opposition to the overhaul and has been a frequent critic of Netanyahu and the Israeli right.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana announced the dissolution, reflecting on the completion of a four-year term, which he noted is a rare occurrence in Israeli political history. The last time an Israeli government completed a full four-year term without early elections was in 1988. While Israel does not have term limits, and Netanyahu has served more terms than any other prime minister, finishing a full term is uncommon even for him.
Political instability has been a recurring theme in Israel, with the country holding five elections between 2019 and 2022. Data from the Israel Democracy Institute indicates that Israel experiences elections on average every 2.4 years, ranking it second lowest among OECD countries for intervals between elections.