In race against time, Israeli government passes first test to dissolve
Today’s procedural step in the Knesset moves the Israeli coalition government closer to dissolution and elections in the fall.
The Knesset approved today in a preliminary hearing 11 bills for dispersing Israel's parliament. An overwhelming majority of 110 legislators without anyone objecting supported the bills. The 11 similar bills — nine by the opposition and two by the coalition — were joined into one package, requiring one single vote.
Yesh Atid legislator Boaz Toporovsky said, "This is a sad day for democracy. We are doing it with a heavy heart but without regrets, because the good of the state has always been and will always be before anything else."
Still, the road for dissolving the Knesset is complicated. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Alternate Prime Minister Yair Lapid would like to see the Knesset dissolved as soon as possible to prevent the Likud and the opposition from establishing an alternative government headed by former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The opposition could advance such a move if it gathers the support of an absolute Knesset majority, namely at least 61 legislators. For the moment, it is unclear if the opposition would indeed have the requested support for such a move.
Normally, in order for the Knesset to disperse, the Knesset House Committee must approve the preliminary-approved bill for a first hearing. After the first hearing, the bill returns to the Constitution, Law and Justice Committee, which prepares the text for second and third final hearings.
