Israeli Knesset Advances Dissolution Bill and Attorney General Reform Bills

The Israeli Knesset advanced a coalition-backed bill to dissolve the parliament in early June 2026, paving the way for potential early elections. The dissolution bill passed a first procedural hurdle with support from outlets across the political spectrum, marking a significant step toward ending the current parliamentary term.

The coalition crisis that precipitated the dissolution effort began in mid-May after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told haredi parties that legislation to exempt ultra-Orthodox yeshiva students from military service lacked sufficient coalition support to pass. In response, United Torah Judaism announced it would seek to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections, citing the coalition's failure to advance the haredi draft exemption. Rabbi Dov Lando, spiritual leader of Degel Hatorah, wrote to his faction's Knesset members stating they no longer had trust in Netanyahu and instructed them to stop cooperating with the coalition's efforts on the draft bill.

The dispute over haredi military service occurred against the backdrop of what the Israel Defense Forces has described as an urgent manpower shortage, particularly after more than two years of war. Multiple coalition lawmakers spoke against the haredi draft bill when the coalition attempted to bring it back for discussion, vowing not to vote for it and warning it would not solve the IDF's manpower crisis and could severely harm Israel's security.

Center-right Israeli outlets reported that the dissolution bill's first reading in the plenum passed with a vote of 106 to 0, following approval by the Knesset House Committee on Monday morning with eight lawmakers in favor. The bill's preliminary reading had passed on May 20 with 110 lawmakers in favor and none against. The legislation must pass three more readings in the plenum to come into effect.

According to center-right Israeli sources, the coalition submitted its own dissolution bill as a way for the prime minister to control the pace and timing of elections. The House Committee determined a range of possible election dates spanning from September 8 to October 20, though no specific date was set during Monday's deliberations. Typically, 90 days must pass after a dissolution bill is approved before elections can be held, though this convention is not stipulated in Basic Law: The Knesset.

Center-right outlets reported that haredi party lawmakers from Shas and United Torah Judaism told the House Committee panel they wanted to move up the election date to September, before the High Holy Days. According to these reports, haredi parties pushed for a September date to boost ultra-Orthodox voter turnout. Netanyahu reportedly opposed moving up the election date and sought to hold elections in late October, stating this would allow the coalition more time to advance legislation and potentially achieve military goals.

Acting director general of the Central Elections Committee Dean Livne requested that the Knesset provide an election date no fewer than 83 days in advance. If September 15 were chosen as an election date, it would fall between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, delaying results publication by one day and reducing ballot-counting time by 25 hours, according to center-right Israeli sources.

Opposition party leaders vowed they would not form a coalition with haredi parties after the elections under any circumstances, center-right outlets reported. The Times of Israel reported that opposition leader Yair Lapid described the current government as one of the worst in Israeli history, criticizing Netanyahu for failing to win in Lebanon, Gaza, and Iran, overseeing unprecedented increases in violent crime, and presiding over a decline in Israel's international standing.

According to a single Times of Israel report, Lapid called for Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot to join a united 'Together' slate with him and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, endorsing Bennett as 'the right man to lead.' The same outlet reported that Eisenkot proposed opposition leaders agree to recommend the head of the largest allied party as prime minister after the election, a move that generated pushback from within the opposition bloc. Avigdor Liberman declined to back Bennett as prime minister, presented himself as the best candidate, and said a decision would be postponed until after the elections.

Alongside the dissolution bill, lawmakers voted 65-47 to advance a pair of bills that would curtail the power of the attorney general and make it harder to indict high-ranking government officials. The attorney general reform legislation passed its first plenum reading and will return to the Knesset's Constitution, Law and Justice Committee for further deliberations.

Israeli outlets differed in their descriptions of how the attorney general reform bill would restructure the office. The Jerusalem Post reported the role would be split into two separate positions: an attorney general and a state prosecutor. The Times of Israel, by contrast, described the bill as splitting the role into three positions: an attorney general, a prosecutor general, and a government representative to the courts.