Coalition chairman Ofir Katz submitted a bill on Wednesday evening to dissolve the 25th Knesset, signed by all coalition faction leaders.

According to the proposal, the date of the elections will be determined during discussions in the Knesset House Committee, a step intended to allow the coalition to control the timetable rather than allowing the opposition to lead the process.

The bill is expected to reach the Knesset plenum for a preliminary vote next Wednesday, where it is expected to pass.

However, behind the agreement to dissolve the Knesset lies a major dispute over the election date. UTJ is pushing for elections as early as September 1, Shas prefers September 15, and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is seeking to delay the vote until October 27, the latest possible legal date.

Coalition sources say that the struggle over the date is not merely technical, but has broad political significance, from the parties’ preparation for the campaign to the attempt to complete final political and legislative moves before the actual dissolution of the Knesset.

The launch of the election process comes after the Degel HaTorah party informed Netanyahu that it is calling for the dissolution of the Knesset in the wake of the failure to advance the draft exemption law.

Senior figures in Degel HaTorah went even further, declaring that they no longer feel committed to the traditional right-wing bloc.

(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)