Israeli centrist party proposes vote to dissolve parliament
The centrist party of Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz said Thursday it had submitted a bill to dissolve parliament and hold an early election. "The head of the National Union Party, Pnina Tamano-Shata, has put forward a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset. This follows the request of party leader Minister Benny Gantz to move forward in broad agreement to an election before October, a year since the massacre," the party said in a statement.
- Diplomacy
- Reuters
- Published Date: 05:18 | 30 May 2024
- Modified Date: 05:18 | 30 May 2024
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party proposed on Thursday holding a parliamentary vote on dissolving the parliament, but it was unclear whether he had enough support to bring about an early election.
The move follows an ultimatum that Gantz issued this month, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agree to a day-after plan for the Gaza war by June 8. He threatened to quit the coalition if no such plan was forthcoming.
Gantz joined Netanyahu's government shortly after the Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli communities on Oct. 7 last year that sparked the war in Gaza.
Gantz's centrist bloc split up in March and his party does not on its own control enough seats in parliament to bring down the ruling coalition.
Netanyahu's Likud responded to Gantz's latest move by saying that Israel needs unity and that disbanding the government would hurt the war effort.