After more than eight months of political limbo, the leaders of the various political parties in Israel on Monday reached an agreement on one thing – that if the current Knesset dissolves itself as expected on Wednesday, the next Knesset election will be held on March 2, 2020.
Party leaders had hoped to hold the next election on Feb. 25, 2020, but that date was legally unfeasible because Israeli election law states that an election must be held 90 days after the Knesset dissolves itself.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
The next available date was March 3, 2020, but that was ruled out because in 2020 it falls on the Hebrew date of the 7th of Adar, when the nation marks the memory of fallen soldiers whose place of burial is unknown. Eli Ben-Shem, the head of the Yad Labanim organization, which works to commemorate fallen soldiers and support their families, asked that elections not be held on that date. Culture and Sport Minister Miri Regev and Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis supported Ben-Shem's request.
Elections could not have been held on the week of March 10, 2020, because of the conflict with Purim.
March 17, 2020, was considered and ruled out at the demand of the haredi parties because it is a day devoted to the memory of Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, and many hassidic Jews travel to Poland to visit his grave.
A date as late as March 24, 2020, could have been set, but some political officials wanted a short campaign.
On Sunday, Tourism Minister Yariv Levin, head of the Likud team charged with negotiating a coalition agreement, met with chairman of the Knesset Arrangements Committee Avi Nissenkorn, to settle the final details involved in announcing a third Knesset election.
Nissenkorn, who also serves as faction leader for Blue and White, said that the party "would make every effort, up until the last minute, to prevent another, needless election for Israel.
"As we promised the public, if [Prime Minister] Netanyahu blocks the establishment of a unity government and we are forced to dissolve the Knesset, we will hold the shortest election possible. I am happy that the Likud and the rest of the parties agreed to support that," Nissenkorn said.
