TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel parliament or the Knesset officially dissolved itself in the early hours of Friday, July 17, 2026, after passing a series of controversial bills in the final days of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition government. The dissolution paves the way for the general election scheduled to be held on October 27, 2026.
According to a report from The New Arab, the Knesset, originally scheduled to go on summer recess on Friday, July 17, will not reconvene until the elections are held in October.
Parliament Completes Full Term
Knesset Chairman Amir Ohana stated that the parliament has successfully completed a full four-year term, something rare in Israel's political history. "We have completed a four-year term, passed nine budgets, and hundreds of laws. I thank you for the trust you have placed in me, which has enabled us to maintain a full four-year term," Ohana said when announcing the parliament's dissolution.
The completion of a full four-year term is a rare occurrence in Israel. The last time a government completed its term on schedule was in 1988. In contrast, from 2019 to 2022, Israeli citizens had to participate in five elections due to political crises and the fragility of the coalition government.
On Tuesday, the parliament also approved two new funding packages to expand the Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister Orit Strock announced the policy.
The first package includes an allocation of 1.3 billion Israeli Shekels, or approximately US$431 million, previously approved in June to build 34 new settlements.
Additionally, the parliament approved an additional budget of 1.075 billion Shekels, or about US$358 million, to construct new roads connecting the Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Support for Netanyahu Weakens
Meanwhile, support for Netanyahu's coalition continues to weaken ahead of the election. The Arab Weekly, citing a survey by Maariv published on Friday, reported that the opposition bloc is projected to win 62 seats in the Knesset, surpassing the majority threshold of 61 seats needed to form a government. In contrast, the Netanyahu-supporting bloc is estimated to only secure 48 seats, while Arab parties hold 10 seats.
The survey estimates that Netanyahu-led Likud Party will obtain 22 seats, the same number as the new Yashar party led by former Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. The alliance led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett is projected to win 16 seats, followed by the Democratic Party led by Yair Golan with 11 seats and Yisrael Beiteinu led by Avigdor Lieberman with nine seats.
The survey involving 500 Jewish and Arab Israeli respondents also indicates that 55 percent of the respondents are not confident that the government can make the right decisions leading up to the election. In contrast, only 38 percent express continued confidence in the government.
Read: Germany May Make It Illegal to Deny Israel's Right to Exist
Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
Germany May Make It Illegal to Deny Israel's Right to Exist
1 hari lalu
Germany's upper house of parliament, the Bundesrat, has introduced a bill seeking to ban the questioning of Israel's right to exist.
Netanyahu Cancels US Trip Amid Reports of Trump Rift
1 hari lalu
Netanyahu's office cited the postponement of US Senator Lindsey Graham's funeral as the reason why the leader canceled the trip.
Iran: Alleged Ahmadinejad Plot Highlights Info War
2 hari lalu
Claims Israel explored regime change with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad highlight how the Iran war is also a battle over narratives.
Turkish Court Seeks Interpol Arrest Warrant for Netanyahu
2 hari lalu
Turkey seeks Interpol action against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after an Istanbul court accused him of crimes related to Gaza.
Vance Says Epstein Had Ties to Top US, Israeli Intelligence Figures
2 hari lalu
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said Jeffrey Epstein appeared to have ties to Israeli "deep state" elements and top U.S. intelligence figures.
Palestinians in Gaza: Stuck Between Hamas and Israel
3 hari lalu
Hamas is planning to transfer control of Gaza's civilian administration to Palestinian technocrats as part of the fragile US ceasefire.
Iran: Living in Limbo Between War and Ceasefire
4 hari lalu
Repeated ceasefire violations, mixed political signals and emergency measures have fueled exhaustion, anger and deep uncertainty among Iranians.
Trump Ally Lindsey Graham Dies at 71 After Sudden Illness
5 hari lalu
Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a close ally of Trump, died on Saturday, Aug. 15, at the age of 71 following a sudden illness.
Iran Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei Vows Revenge for Father's Death
7 hari lalu
Iran's Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei says the nation 'demands' revenge for the killing of his father and predecessor, Ali Khamenei.
Israel Says It Shared Intelligence on Alleged Iranian Plot to Kill Trump
8 hari lalu
Israel says it shared intelligence with the US on an alleged Iranian plot to assassinate President Donald Trump.
