Conscription row: Israel's Knesset to vote on dissolution, in first step towards early election

Israel’s parliament is scheduled to hold a preliminary vote on Wednesday to dissolve itself, triggered by a dispute over military conscription.

The vote marks the first step toward a potential early election, one that current polls suggest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would likely lose.

However, the vote could be canceled at the last minute. Even if it proceeds and passes, it would be just the first of four required approvals to advance new elections.

The process would still leave Netanyahu’s ruling coalition with time to address its most severe political crisis yet and possibly avert an election, which would be the first since the war with Hamas in Gaza began.

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Boaz Bismuth, a lawmaker with Netanyahu’s Likud party, told Reuters dissolving the Knesset would only be a victory for Israel’s enemies.

“During war this is the last thing Israel needs,” he was quoted as saying.

Netanyahu has been pushing hard to resolve a coalition deadlock over a military conscription bill at the heart of the current crisis.

Religious parties in his coalition want to maintain exemptions from mandatory military service for ultra-Orthodox Jewish seminary students, while other lawmakers are demanding an end to those exemptions.

Though long controversial, the issue has become especially charged during the Gaza war, as Israel faces its heaviest battlefield losses in decades and a strained military in urgent need of more troops.

Frustrated by the impasse, ultra-Orthodox factions have threatened to back opposition efforts to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections, currently scheduled for late 2026.

“It’s more than ever urgent to replace Netanyahu’s government and specifically this toxic and harmful government,” Reuters quoted Labour’s opposition lawmaker Merav Michaeli as saying.

“It’s urgent to end the war in Gaza and to bring back all the hostages. It’s urgent to start rebuilding and healing the state of Israel,” Michaeli added.

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More time

If Netanyahu resolves the coalition crisis before Wednesday’s vote, opposition parties may withdraw the bill to dissolve parliament.

Even if the bill passes its first reading, it still needs three more votes, buying Netanyahu time to strike a deal on the conscription issue with his ultra-Orthodox allies.

Between readings, the bill goes to committee, a process that could take days or even months. During this period, Netanyahu can still negotiate and block the bill.

To pass, the bill needs 61 of 120 Knesset votes. If approved, an election must be held within five months.

Polls suggest Netanyahu’s coalition would likely lose, with public anger still high over the security failure of Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack, which killed 1,200 people and led to 251 hostages.

Since then, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, devastated the territory, and displaced most of its population. Over 400 Israeli soldiers have died, further fueling opposition to exemptions for ultra-Orthodox men.

While many Israelis demand equal conscription, ultra-Orthodox leaders insist religious study is sacred and military service incompatible with their way of life.

With inputs from agencies