Israel's Gov't Dissolves Ahead of Vote 07/17 06:19

   

   TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) -- Israel's parliament dissolved early Friday after 
passing a marathon of bills in the last moments of Prime Minister Benjamin 
Netanyahu's governing coalition.

   The Knesset, which was scheduled to break for its summer recess on Friday, 
will not reconvene before the elections scheduled on Oct. 27.

   The expected dissolution comes as Netanyahu is struggling to hold onto power 
ahead of the next elections as Israel grinds toward the third anniversary of 
the Oct. 7 attack that sparked nearly three years of war. Israeli polls are 
showing a groundswell of support for opposition parties, led by former Prime 
Minister Naftali Bennett and a popular centrist former military chief.

   Over the past week, the Knesset passed several controversial laws in 
marathon sessions as Netanyahu attempted to ram through several of his pet 
projects.

   Earlier this week, the Knesset passed two bills that effectively halt the 
enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the military in an attempt to ensure 
ultra-Orthodox parties join Netanyahu's coalition in the next government.

   The Knesset also recently passed several bills connected with Netanyahu's 
attempts to overhaul the judiciary, including increasing government control 
over broadcast media and weakening the role of the attorney general. Attorney 
General Gali Baharav-Miara has opposed the overhaul, and been a frequent target 
of Netanyahu and the Israeli right.

   "We are completing a four-year term, we passed nine budgets and hundreds of 
bills, I thank you for the trust you placed in me, through which together we 
succeeded in maintaining a four-year term," Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said as 
he announced the dissolution.

   Completing a full, four-year term is a rare occurrence throughout Israeli 
history.

   The last time Israel's government fulfilled a full term without breaking for 
early elections was in 1988. Israel has no term limits, and Netanyahu has 
served more terms than any other prime minister in Israel's history, but it is 
rare even for him to finish a full, four-year term.

   Between 2019 and 2022, Israelis went to the polls five times. Israel holds 
elections on average every 2.4 years, making it second-lowest ranked country in 
the OECD for periods between elections, a marker of political instability, 
according to the Israel Democracy Institute.