Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to choose an election date after his upcoming visit to the US, according to N12’s news site.
The Friday report said that Netanyahu expects more hurdles in passing the draft law regarding haredi (ultra-Orthodox) conscription into the army, also fearing the government might collapse over this issue.
Netanyahu was set to depart for his meeting with US President Donald Trump in Florida late last night.
It is estimated that the prime minister will aim to leverage his recognized diplomatic achievements during his meeting with Trump to gain political points and improve his image ahead of the elections.
Earlier this month, Maariv reported that Netanyahu was hoping to pass the haredi draft law before his trip to the US in a timeline that now seems unlikely.
Agudat Yisrael’s Council of Torah Sages, the political movement that represents hassidic Jewry in Israel, is set to decide whether to support the draft law in its current form or oppose it during a meeting on Sunday.
Haredi draft law affects government
Starting on December 6, a marathon of meetings on the bill took place in the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, with some lawmakers criticizing the legislation on the haredi draft bill proposal as insufficiently effective.
The outline faced significant pushback from multiple coalition members and opposition MKs as well, narrowing the chances of the bill’s current version passing its second and third readings when it is eventually brought to the Knesset plenum for enactment.
Likud not able to form government, opposition on verge of majority
A Maariv poll released on Friday showed that Netanyahu’s coalition is still stuck at 50 seats, with the Likud at only 25 if the elections were held today.
According to the poll, moreover, the opposition has 60 seats, and the Arab parties have 10.
Moshe Cohen and Keshet Neev contributed to this report.