Both the opposition and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition were preparing competing efforts on Wednesday to dissolve the Knesset and trigger early elections.

The maneuvering came a day after the ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah faction announced that it would push to dissolve the Knesset over the coalition’s failure to pass a draft exemption law for yeshiva students.

On Tuesday, opposition parties submitted dissolution bills on Tuesday and urged Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana to hold a preliminary vote as early as Wednesday, in an effort to capitalize on Degel HaTorah’s announcement.

Ohana, who alone has the authority to accelerate the process, declined to do so, an opposition source familiar with the matter told The Times of Israel on Wednesday.

And in an effort to control both the legislative process and the timing of future elections, the coalition was on Wednesday preparing to submit its own bill to dissolve the Knesset as early as next week, according to Hebrew media reports.

Whether brought forward by the opposition or the coalition, a preliminary vote to dissolve the Knesset cannot be held before Monday, and more likely next Wednesday, at the earliest.

Under Knesset procedures, bills must be submitted on Mondays in order to be placed on the plenum agenda that same week. Since the opposition’s dissolution bills were submitted after this week’s deadline, the earliest a preliminary vote could take place is Monday, though Ohana will likely delay the vote until Wednesday next week, when lawmakers typically vote on bills in their preliminary readings.

Even if the bill passes its preliminary reading, it would still need to undergo committee deliberations and clear multiple Knesset readings before becoming law, a process that could take weeks and be further stalled by the coalition, which controls the committees where it........

© The Times of Israel