Knesset committee advances dissolution bill for plenum vote as Netanyahu-Haredi coalition cracks

Summary

Israel's Knesset moved toward early elections on June 30 as the House Committee advanced the dissolution bill for a plenum vote later the same day, while separately voting 10-4 to send the proposed Torah Study Basic Law to its first Knesset reading. The coalition crisis centers on ultra-Orthodox parties' demand that the Knesset enshrine mass yeshiva exemptions from military service in law and freeze arrests of draft evaders, before they will support Netanyahu in a dissolution timetable. Netanyahu's scheduled meeting with Haredi party leaders was canceled, signaling talks have broken down at the most sensitive stage. The coalition aims to pass the Torah Basic Law before the Knesset enters its pre-election recess on July 16, which is also the deadline for dissolution to set an October 20 election date.

Why it matters

Israel's October election race now runs in parallel with the still-fragile US-Iran ceasefire and the stalled Lebanon framework deal. Netanyahu faces a structural squeeze: the Haredi parties demand legislation that polls show most Israeli voters oppose, but failing to deliver it risks immediate coalition collapse. The outcome shapes who governs Israel when the 60-day Iran negotiation window closes in mid-August.