Israel's parliament votes to dissolve ahead of October elections

Israel's parliament voted to dissolve itself early Friday, clearing the way for elections on October 27 in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek another term.

The vote was supported by 62 of the Knesset's 120 members. It followed a final legislative push by the government, which passed several contentious bills aimed at strengthening its position and satisfying allies in Israel's ultra-Orthodox community.

In a marathon final session, the ruling coalition approved bills stripping powers from the attorney general, freezing arrests of draft dodgers and expanding government oversight of the media. With the dissolution bill, it also approved increased funding for political parties.

Knesset legal adviser Sagit Afik said the chamber can continue to operate for about 10 more days because a law confirming the election date was sent back to a committee after parliamentary deadlock. The report said that dispute will not prevent the end of the parliamentary term.

Parliament speaker Amir Ohana closed the late-night session from Thursday into Friday by referring to the difficulties Israel faced during the term. He said the session was marked by protests and coincided with what he called the toughest and longest war in the country's history. Looking ahead to the election, he said Israel was heading toward a battle of ideas marked by sharper positions.

Netanyahu, 76, is Israel's longest-serving prime minister, but the report said he is in a weakened position. It said polls show a majority of Israelis want him to step down, with anger driven by security failures surrounding the October 7, 2023 attacks by Palestinian militant group Hamas. Former military chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot appears to be Netanyahu's main rival in the election.