Israeli politicians take first step toward dissolving parliament

Israeli politicians voted in favour of dissolving parliament in a preliminary vote on Wednesday, setting the wheels in motion to send the country to its fifth national election in three-and-a-half years.

The development was the first step in a series of votes before the formal dissolution of the 120-seat Knesset. It came two days after Prime Minister Naftali Bennett announced he was disbanding his unravelling governing coalition of eight ideologically diverse parties little more a year after he took office.

The coalition, which unseated long-time leader Benjamin Netanyahu, has been wracked by infighting and defections in recent months. It included dovish parties committed to a two-state solution with the Palestinians, hawkish ultranationalists who oppose a Palestinian state, and a small Islamist faction, the first Arab party to join an Israeli government.

A series of proposals for the dissolution was passed by a vast majority of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament. But a final vote on at least one of the motions is still required to dissolve parliament, expected to be held next week.

Once it passes, Mr Bennett will step down as prime minister and hand over the reins to his ally, Foreign Minister Yair Lapid. Elections are expected to be held in October.

Mr Bennett and Mr Lapid formed their coalition of parties united solely in their opposition to Mr Netanyahu last year, after four inconclusive elections in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The Knesset was deadlocked between those who supported a Netanyahu-led government and those who refused to join forces with him while he was under indictment for corruption.

Mr Netanyahu is on trial and faces charges of fraud, breach of trust and accepting bribes in three high-profile cases. He has denied any wrongdoing and has repeatedly dismissed the accusations as part of a witch-hunt to oust him from office.

Mr Netanyahu has been delighted by the disbanding of what he has called the worst government in Israel's history. He retains hopes of landing a sixth term in office.

Four surveys published on Tuesday found Mr Netanyahu's conservative Likud party and its likely allied nationalist and ultrareligious parties to be leading the polls, but still short of a governing majority in Israel's 120-seat Knesset.

"Netanyahu knows if Israel remains a liberal democracy that he will not be able to cancel his trial," Mr Lapid said at an economic conference in Jerusalem.

"Our mission is to ensure these people don't take power and not to let them crush Israel's democracy."

But Mr Bennett said he would vote against such a bill and leave it to voters to decide if Mr Netanyahu was fit for office.

"I'm confident they will make the right choice," he tweeted.

Mr Netanyahu, 72, said his rivals will lean on Muslim Arab politicians, whom he has described as "supporters of terrorism."

"Only a strong national government headed by Netanyahu will put Israel back on a right-wing course," Mr Likud said in response to Mr Lapid's remarks.

The election date, likely between late September and early November, will be decided next week.