Article:

WHEN IS THE BALLOT?

An election date is yet to be set. Israel ​is supposed to hold a national vote every four years but early elections have happened often. The last national election was in November 2022 ‌and the next ballot is due at the latest on October 27. After voting to dissolve parliament, members will have to agree on an election date. Political commentators in Israel say an election is likely in the first half of September but it could also be held nearer to the late October deadline.

WHY DID THE KNESSET VOTE TO DISBAND?

The vote came now because an ultra-Orthodox Jewish ​faction, traditionally a close political ally of Netanyahu, announced this month that it no longer sees the prime minister as a partner and will ​seek an early election.The ultra-Orthodox leaders said they were doing this because Netanyahu's coalition had not kept a promise to pass a ⁠law that would exempt their community from mandatory service in Israel's conscript military. At the same time, opposition parties have long sought to topple Netanyahu's government. An ​attempt to do so last June failed and success this time, even if it only brought the election forward by a few weeks, could inject momentum into the opposition's ​campaign and limit the coalition's ability to promote any contentious legislation until then. In a bid to control the process, the coalition on May 13 submitted its own bill to dissolve the Knesset.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The bill now goes to committee, where an election date is agreed. It then goes back for final approval, with the third of three votes requiring a 61-member majority ​of the 120 Knesset members. The process could be swift or take many weeks.