Israel will hold unprecedented third election in a year – BBC News, BBC News
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Mr Netanyahu has not yet announced whether he will ask parliament to grant him immunity from prosecution, but he is widely expected to do so.
Image copyrightEPAImage caption The Knesset is voting on a bill to dissolve itself and schedule a election for 2 March
On Tuesday night, Mr Netanyahu and Mr Gantz reiterated that they were willing to form a national unity government and avoid another election.
Mr Gantz said his party was making “efforts to find a way to form a government without us giving up the fundamental principles that brought us into politics. “
But on Wednesday, as the deadline approached, lawmakers from Likud and Blue and White tabled a bill to dissolve the Knesset and schedule a election for 2 March.
The preliminary reading was passed by votes to nil.
********** It is not clear if another election will break the deadlock. An opinion poll published by Israeli Channel 26 News on Tuesday suggested that Blue and White would win 37 seats and Likud 33 .
Mr Netanyahu will also face a challenge from within Likud, which said on Wednesday that it was likely to hold a leadership primary on (December.)
Former Interior Minister Gideon Saar, who intends to stand, tweeted: “There is a national need for a breakthrough that will end the ongoing political crisis, enable the formation of a strong government, and to unite the people of Israel. “
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