Shas Party leader Aryeh Deri and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)
Israel moved a step closer to early elections after lawmakers voted 106-0 in favor of the first reading of a bill to dissolve the Knesset, signaling a potential end to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government.
The political crisis erupted after ultra-Orthodox parties rebelled against the coalition over its failure to pass legislation preserving military draft exemptions for yeshiva students. The dispute has exposed deep fractures within Netanyahu’s governing bloc, with key coalition partners now openly pushing for elections that could take place as early as September or October.
The vote has effectively launched Israel into election mode, with opposition parties already positioning the campaign as a referendum on Netanyahu’s leadership after years of war, security challenges, judicial battles, and political turmoil. The coming months are expected to trigger an intense fight over the country’s future direction at one of the most sensitive moments in Israel’s history.
Yisrael Beytenu leader insists universal conscription remains nonnegotiable despite his shift toward negotiations.
GOP lawmakers reconsider support for defense secretary over Iran war as Massie pushes impeachment resolution.…
Tehran presses its two-day proposal as Trump says renewed war is unlikely if negotiations advance.
Thousands of Jewish and pro-Israel supporters confronted participants im an antisemitic bike-ride boycott that targeted…
COGAT said four more vacuum trucks entered Gaza this week through the International Committee of…
Israel Aerospace Industries’ new Sea Demon is a small, low-cost missile that can hit targets…