Israel moved towards a new election after parliament gave preliminary approval on Monday to a dissolution motion as PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to form a government remained deadlocked.
In order to disperse and set an election date, parliament would still have to hold a final vote. It is unlikely to take place before Wednesday, when a deadline for the prime minister to announce a governing coalition expires, Reuters said.
Israel last held an election in April. Netanyahu has struggled to seal an agreement with a clutch of right-wing, far-right and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties that would ensure him a fifth term.