Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a session at the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, before it dissolves ahead of the 2026 Israeli elections, in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.
| Photo Credit: Reuters
Israel’s Parliament dissolved early Friday (July 17, 2026) after passing a marathon of Bills in the last moments of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
The Knesset, which was scheduled to break for its summer recess on Friday (July 17, 2026), will not reconvene before the elections scheduled on October 27.
The expected dissolution comes as Mr. Netanyahu is struggling to hold onto power ahead of the next elections as Israel grinds toward the third anniversary of the October 7 attack that sparked nearly three years of war. Israeli polls are showing a groundswell of support for opposition parties, led by former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and a popular centrist former military chief.
Over the past week, the Knesset passed several controversial laws in marathon sessions as PM Netanyahu attempted to ram through several of his pet projects.
Earlier this week, the Knesset passed two Bills that effectively halt the enlistment of ultra-Orthodox men in the military in an attempt to ensure ultra-Orthodox parties join Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition in the next government.
The Knesset also recently passed several Bills connected with Mr. Netanyahu’s attempts to overhaul the judiciary, including increasing government control over broadcast media and weakening the role of the attorney general. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara has opposed the overhaul, and been a frequent target of Mr. Netanyahu and the Israeli right.
“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,” Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said as he announced the dissolution.
Completing a full, four-year term is a rare occurrence throughout Israeli history.
The last time Israel’s government fulfilled a full term without breaking for early elections was in 1988. Israel has no term limits, and Mr. Netanyahu has served more terms than any other prime minister in Israel’s history, but it is rare even for him to finish a full, four-year term.
Between 2019 and 2022, Israelis went to the polls five times. Israel holds elections on average every 2.4 years, making it second-lowest ranked country in the OECD for periods between elections, a marker of political instability, according to the Israel Democracy Institute.
Published – July 17, 2026 11:07 pm IST
