Coalition chairman Ofir Katz (Likud), together with all coalition faction leaders, submitted a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset
According to the proposal, the date of the elections will be determined during discussions in the Knesset Committee.
Political insiders believe this to be an attempt to control the dissolution process and not leave it in the hands of the opposition.
The bill is expected to be voted on in the Knesset plenum in a preliminary reading on Wednesday and is expected to pass.
The decision comes one day after the haredi parties notified Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that they no longer have confidence in him after he delayed legislation on conscription exemptions for haredim. The Degel Hatorah faction even went as far as to say that it is no longer obliged to the right-wing bloc.
In a sharply worded letter to members of Degel Hatorah, Rabbi Dov Lando stated that “we are no longer committed to him" and instructed them to work toward elections as soon as possible.
Lando wrote to the haredi lawmakers: “You have fulfilled your mission faithfully and beyond measure. We have no trust in the prime minister and no longer feel like his partners. We are not committed to him. From now on, we will do only what we believe is good for haredi Judaism, and in our opinion, elections should be held as soon as possible. All kinds of talk about a bloc no longer exist."
Blue and White Chairman Benny Gantz said in response to the submission of the bill to dissolve the Knesset: "This is the beginning of the end of the worst government in Israeli history, and the sooner the better. But the question is not only when the elections will be, but mainly what will happen here after them. After the upcoming elections, the State of Israel must establish a broad Zionist unity government that will lead Israel forward."