Israeli Knesset Officially Dissolves Ahead of October Elections

The 25th Knesset officially dissolved overnight between Thursday and Friday after passing the amendment to the Political Parties Financing Law in its second and third readings. The vote saw unanimous support from 62 members of Knesset, with no opposition or abstentions. Additionally, a temporary provision was approved to maintain the regular IDF service length at 32 months, receiving 43 votes in favor, 12 against, and one abstention.

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, closing the final session, expressed his efforts to assist lawmakers across the political spectrum and acknowledged the upcoming election campaign would sharpen ideological divides. He emphasized the hope for a swift return to the Knesset and reminded that despite disagreements, all Israelis are partners in one nation and state.

This legislative session also saw the approval of several significant laws, including the Basic Law on Torah Study, the freeze on arrests of ultra-Orthodox draft evaders, the cancellation of the kosher reform, gender segregation in academia, and measures to weaken the Attorney General's legal advice authority.

Earlier in the week, the Knesset Committee set the dissolution date, with the coalition confirming that elections would proceed as scheduled on October 27. This decision followed legal advice from the Knesset's legal counsel, Shagit Afek, who stated July 17 as the final date for dissolution. The coalition aimed to utilize the plenary sessions fully to pass key laws negotiated between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties.