Gantz’s Party Proposes Vote to Dissolve Israel’s Parliament

(Bloomberg) -- Israel’s opposition National Unity party, headed by war-cabinet member Benny Gantz, submitted a bill for the dissolution of parliament in a bid to force early elections and oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

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The Knesset should be the subject of a fresh vote to reflect changing circumstances since the invasion by Hamas militants on Oct. 7, which triggered the ongoing war on Gaza, the party said in a statement on Thursday.

While it’s unlikely that Gantz’s party can garner enough support for the measure to pass, the move marks the latest in a series of attempts by Netanyahu’s opponents to force him from office. Gantz has given the premier a deadline of June 8 to meet a series of demands, saying he’ll quit if they aren’t met, and has said elections should be held in September instead of as scheduled in 2026.

Read More: Pressure on Netanyahu Grows After Gantz Demands Election

Netanyahu’s Likud has 32 seats in the 120-seat chamber, though is the largest party in a ruling coalition that accounts for 64. The National Unity party has just eight seats.

Netanyahu’s popularity dived after the Oct. 7 attacks, with criticizm focused on how the incursion that killed 1,200 people had been allowed to happen. But in recent days polls have suggested the prime minister is edging back in favor, with one survey saying respondents would prefer him to Gantz as their leader.

Read More: Netanyahu’s Popularity on the Rise in Blow to Israeli Rivals

Netanyahu heads a three-man war cabinet with Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, both have which have clashed with the prime minister over the war strategy.

(Updates with voting dynamics in third paragraph. An earlier version corrected the number of Likud seats.)

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