Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud Party failed to form a coalition before Wednesday’s deadline, triggering a second round of elections.
According to the Times of Israel, the Knesset voted 74 to 45 to hold new elections on September 17. Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman was the main obstacle to Netanyahu forming a coalition, as Netanyahu refused to support Liberman’s bill requiring haredim to enlist in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
“The Likud failed in this work of building a coalition… and they and the haredim are to blame for Israel going to elections,” Liberman told reporters.
The Likud Party lambasted Liberman in a statement, accusing him of aiming “to end Netanyahu’s career and replace him.”
This will be the first time in Israel’s history to have two elections in the same year.
