BICOM

The next election will be held on 4 September, a majority of the Knesset agreed yesterday, 13 months ahead of scheduled. As a result the Knesset is expected to vote to dissolve itself next week, with the dissolution taking effect the following Sunday, only two weeks after the summer session began.

The date was fixed after Likud and three other parties, who together form a majority of 61 in the 120-seat Knesset, reached an agreement enabling them to pass a dissolution motion.

Netanyahu wants early elections to take advantage of his strong position in the polls and to avoid being held to political ransom by his coalition partners over a number of upcoming divisive issues. These include Israel’s two-year budget and the revising of the Tal Law, which exempts ultra-Orthodox men from compulsory military service, but has been found unconstitutional.

Polls indicate that Netanyahu is in a very strong position to remain as prime minister. In a Haaretz-Dialog poll published this morning, when the Israeli public was asked which candidate is most suited to hold the post of Prime Minister, 48% of respondents said Netanyahu. His closest rival was Labour chairperson Shelly Yachimovch, who got only 15% support. A poll on Israeli Channel 2 News last night showed Likud winning 31 seats, Labour 17, Yair Lapid’s centrist Yesh Atid party 12, and Kadima 10.