The Knesset House Committee on Wednesday advanced the Knesset dispersal bill that was passed in an initial plenum vote last week.

The bill passed 10-7, with Likud, UTJ and Shas MKs voting against it and Blue and White and opposition MKs supporting it. The bill must still be passed three more times in the plenum before becoming law.

Blue and White chairman Eitan Ginzburg, who also serves as the chairman of the House Committee, revealed that March 16 has been proposed as the date for the next election.

However, Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin (Likud) said that the election date must be designated by the agreement of all parties.

It is possible that Alternate Prime Minister Benny Gantz will choose not to advance elections, especially after Gideon Sa’ar’s announcement on Tuesday that he is forming his own party, which will draw support from both Blue and White and Likud.

As things stand, Ginzburg is aiming to pass the bill into law by next week in order to allow the Central Elections Committee 90 days to prepare for new elections.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)