Power Outage Hits Israeli Knesset and Government Complex Due to Infrastructure Damage

On Monday afternoon, a power outage affected the Israeli Knesset and surrounding government buildings in Jerusalem's government complex. The Israel Electric Corporation issued an unusual statement explaining that during work conducted by a private contractor at the Knesset compound, a high-voltage cable was likely damaged, causing disruption to the area's electrical infrastructure. Teams from the electric company were dispatched to locate the fault, repair the damage, and restore power as soon as possible.

The outage impacted the Knesset, the Ministry of Finance, and other nearby buildings. The 25th Knesset was officially dissolved on the previous Thursday night and is currently in recess, meaning that while some staff remain at the Knesset, no legislative work is ongoing. Prior to dissolution, the Knesset approved amendments to the Political Parties Financing Law in preparation for the upcoming elections scheduled for October 27.

Under Israeli law, the dissolved Knesset continues to function until the first session of the new Knesset convenes, expected by mid-November. However, during this election period, parliamentary operations are limited and subject to special procedures. Legislative activity and committee meetings can only occur with the prior consent of a special "Consensus Committee" composed of coalition and opposition representatives. This committee must approve any convening of the Knesset or its committees to discuss agreed-upon laws or regulations during the recess period.