TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel’s parliament wrapped up its work and formally dissolved early Friday, concluding a flurry of last-minute legislation pushed through by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
The Knesset had been set to begin its summer recess on Friday and will not come back into session before the October 27 elections.
The dissolution arrives at a difficult moment for Netanyahu, who is fighting to maintain his grip on power as Israel approaches the third anniversary of the October 7 attack that ignited nearly three years of conflict. Recent polling shows growing momentum for opposition parties, with former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and a well-known centrist former military commander leading the charge.
In the days leading up to the dissolution, the Knesset pushed through a series of contentious measures during lengthy legislative sessions, as Netanyahu worked to advance several of his key priorities before the parliament closed.
Among the bills passed this week were two measures that would effectively pause military conscription for ultra-Orthodox men — a move seen as an effort to secure the support of ultra-Orthodox political parties in the next coalition government.
The Knesset also approved several measures tied to Netanyahu’s broader effort to reshape the country’s judicial system, including legislation expanding government authority over broadcast media and reducing the influence of the attorney general. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has been a vocal opponent of the overhaul, has frequently been a target of criticism from Netanyahu and right-wing politicians.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana marked the occasion with brief remarks as he announced the dissolution. “We are completing a four-year term, we passed nine budgets and hundreds of bills, I thank you for the trust you placed in me, through which together we succeeded in maintaining a four-year term,” he said.
Finishing a full four-year term is a notable achievement in Israeli politics. The last time an Israeli government completed a full term without calling early elections was back in 1988.
Israel has no term limits for its prime minister, and Netanyahu has served more terms than any other leader in the country’s history — though even for him, completing a full four-year term is uncommon. Between 2019 and 2022, Israeli voters went to the polls five separate times. According to the Israel Democracy Institute, Israel holds elections on average every 2.4 years, ranking it second-lowest among OECD nations for the length of time between elections — a sign of ongoing political instability.
