The Israeli government took a step toward dissolving itself and looks to be setting the stage for a fourth election in the last two years.
The Israeli parliament, called the Knesset, voted 61-54 in favor of a preliminary proposal to dissolve the government on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. Opposition leader Yair Lapid brought the bill.
The legislation will go to a committee before the entire parliament takes it up as a whole, and it could happen as early as next week. It also forces a new election to take place next year. The vote to dissolve the government came roughly seven months after the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White Party took over.
After three inconclusive elections, Gantz agreed to form a unity government with Netanyahu, keeping the prime minister in power and making Gantz the parliamentary speaker. At the time, the country was in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic’s initial surge, and Gantz referenced the pandemic in explaining why he agreed to form the government.
“These are not usual days, and they require unusual decisions,” he said.
On Wednesday, Gantz announced his party will support the bill, accusing Netanyahu of having “promised unity” but “broke his promises and the people are paying the price,” the Jerusalem Post reported.
He also claimed the prime minister “lied to you,” referring to the Israeli people.
Netanyahu is on trial for a series of corruption allegations. He urged Gantz to keep the government together in a video, saying, “Unfortunately, Blue and White is being dragged by Lapid and [Naftali] Bennett. Lapid and Bennett don’t care if we go to elections in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. That is their personal interest.”
The Knesset will be dissolved automatically if they don’t pass the 2020 state budget by the Dec. 23 deadline.
