Today, Wednesday, the Israeli Knesset voted to dissolve itself, in a first step in preparation for holding early elections, which will be the fifth in less than 4 years, after the collapse of the ruling coalition, while opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu is making contacts to form an alternative government.
Al-Jazeera correspondent Najwan Samri said that the Knesset voted by a preliminary reading of a bill to dissolve the parliament by 110 votes, to vote on it later with 3 other readings.
Samri added that there is a frantic race between the current coalition led by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his foreign minister (alternative prime minister) Yair Lapid, who are seeking to expedite the procedures for dissolving the Knesset, and the opposition led by Netanyahu, who is trying to postpone the vote and form a new government without heading to other elections.
Al-Jazeera correspondent added that Bennett and Lapid want to buy time to block Netanyahu's attempt to form a new government within the framework of the current Knesset.
If the Knesset is dissolved, Bennett is supposed to step down and be succeeded by Lapid, his partner in the asymmetric coalition, which ended 12 months ago the record 12-year tenure of former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Netanyahu is negotiating
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began negotiations with parties in the ruling coalition in an attempt to cause rifts within it, as he spoke with Defense Minister Benny Gantz and Justice Minister Gideon Sa'ar, who defected from the Likud party.
She added that Netanyahu offered Gantz to rotate in the premiership, noting that the parties he has communicated with have so far expressed their refusal to participate with him in an alternative government to the current government, noting that the scenario of the alliance between Netanyahu and Gantz seems very weak, although all possibilities remain.
And the Israeli "Kan" channel reported on Tuesday that the former prime minister is seeking to form a government within the framework of the current Knesset, after recent opinion polls showed that his camp would not obtain the majority needed to form a government in the event of new elections.
A candidate appointed to form a government must obtain the support of a majority of 61 deputies out of a total of 120 deputies in the Knesset.