Israel Prepares for Elections as the Knesset’s Most Extreme Term Comes to an End
Israel’s Knesset is set to conclude on Friday what has been described as its most controversial parliamentary term and the most hardline toward the Palestinians.
Domestically, the Knesset passed a series of laws benefiting the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community, measures that the opposition has denounced as anti-democratic. These included legislation curbing the powers of the Supreme Court and limiting the authority of the government’s legal adviser.
Regarding the Palestinian issue, lawmakers also approved a number of bills rejecting the establishment of a Palestinian state, tightening restrictions on Palestinian prisoners, and limiting certain rights, including regulations affecting the Muslim call to prayer (adhan).
Nevertheless, this is the first Knesset since 1988 to complete its full four-year term.
On Friday, the Israeli parliament will adjourn ahead of the general elections scheduled for October 27, 2023, a vote widely regarded as one of the most significant in the country’s political history.
Thursday marks the final day of legislative activity and plenary sessions before the recess.
According to a report by Yedioth Ahronoth, “The 25th Knesset is concluding the most dramatic and turbulent term in Israel’s history.”
The newspaper added: “One question best captures the situation: who could have imagined it? Who would have believed that October 7 would happen? More importantly, who would have thought that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government would survive such a catastrophe?”
It continued: “Senior Likud ministers and government officials were convinced that the coalition would collapse within weeks of the outbreak of the war. However, that never happened.”
The October 7, 2023 attack occurred during the current parliamentary term and was followed by the devastating war in Gaza and Lebanon, the conflict with Iran, airstrikes in Yemen, and Israel’s takeover of the buffer zone in Syria.
Yedioth Ahronoth noted: “Alongside the war, the coalition’s agenda was dominated by two major issues: judicial reform and the military conscription dispute involving the Haredi parties.”
The newspaper added: “The judicial reform announced by Justice Minister Yariv Levin dominated the coalition’s agenda for an entire year. It was ultimately suspended because of the war, but even before then it had sparked massive protests, including widespread economic disruption and threats by reserve soldiers to refuse voluntary service.”
The judicial reform triggered unprecedented demonstrations in Israel, with hundreds of thousands of protesters taking to the streets on a daily basis.
The report continued: “With the outbreak of the war, instead of pursuing a comprehensive overhaul, the coalition adopted a gradual approach, enabling it to pass legislation such as eliminating the binding nature of the Attorney General’s legal opinions, changing the composition of the Judicial Selection Committee, and approving the law governing internal police investigations, all under the cover of wartime circumstances, even though the government did not achieve all of its original objectives.”
The newspaper concluded: “The issue of mandatory military conscription also loomed over the coalition throughout its term. Before the war, the Haredi parties believed that, within what they considered their ‘ideal government’ backed by Netanyahu’s 64-seat coalition, they would be able to formally legalize exemptions from military service. However, Netanyahu repeatedly postponed the legislation.”
