TEL AVIV, Israel—Israeli lawmakers on Wednesday took a large step toward calling another national election, which would be the fourth in the past two years, by giving preliminary approval to a bill to dissolve the parliament. Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party joined with the opposition, a milestone in the steady unraveling of the coalition government formed with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu just seven months ago.
If the bill, put forward by parliamentary opposition leader Yair Lapid, is passed into law, it would exacerbate Israel’s long-standing political instability, spurred largely by the fact that Netanyahu faces multiple corruption indictments and seems bent on evading trial.
