The Israeli Parliament sets the next general elections for October 27

Israel will hold legislative elections on October 27, the deadline set by law, after the current Parliament completes its full four-year term on July 17, the chamber reported in a statement this Sunday.

The announcement was made by the chairman of the Knesset (Parliament) Committee, Likud party deputy Ofir Katz, during the debate on the party funding bill, which includes a provision setting the start of the electoral recess for the 17th.

If the schedule is met, these will be the first elections called on the date established by law in Israel in nearly 40 years and the first in which a government completes its term in more than half a century.

The Knesset’s legal advisor, Sagit Afik, noted that the chamber “will complete its full term and will not be dissolved,” so it will not be necessary to pass a dissolution law, as the elections will be held on the date provided for by Israeli legislation.

One month after the attempt to push for early elections

The confirmation comes a month after the opposition failed in its attempt to push for early elections through the dissolution of the Knesset.

The initiative was then rejected by 61 votes to 53, after the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism, partners in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition, withdrew their support after reaching an agreement in principle with the Government on the controversial military service law for the ultra-Orthodox.

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In June 2024, Israel’s Supreme Court ruled that the Army must begin drafting ultra-Orthodox Jews after the temporary rule that allowed them to be exempt from mandatory military service expired. The decision led the Government to promote a bill to preserve a good portion of those exemptions, although it plans to incorporate a part of this community into the service.

The issue of military service for the ultra-Orthodox has become one of the main focuses of political tension in Israel, especially since the start of the war in the Gaza Strip, which has increased the Army’s personnel needs and forced the extension of mandatory service and the mobilization of tens of thousands of reservists. These are the first elections called on the date established by law in Israel in nearly 40 years and the first in which a government has completed its term in more than half a century.