Israel Knesset disbands, third elections called
by Jordan Hilger, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Israel’s 22nd Knesset disbanded Wednesday at midnight, slating the country for third elections in under a year, and positioning neither Netanyahu nor Gantz for the 61-seat majority necessary to form a ruling coalition.
After a 21-day period in which any lawmaker from Israel’s parliament was allowed to garner the 61-seat majority and become premier, MKs decided to hold elections in the requisite 90 days in lieu of a clear frontrunner.
Elections will be held on March 2, rather than March 10, however, as the latter date, 90 days from the moment the Knesset disbands happens to fall on the Jewish holiday of Purim.
A Tuesday poll showed Gantz’s Blue and White increasing its one-seat lead over Netanyahu’s Likud, in which the current premier is threatened by charges he calls “selective enforcement” and fellow Likud rival Gideon Sa’ar.