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Netanyahu’s coalition takes first step toward new elections in Israel

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition on Wednesday submitted a bill to dissolve parliament, taking a preliminary step toward holding new elections later this year.

The proposal sets the stage for a formal vote to dissolve parliament and schedule new elections. Israeli media said a preliminary vote is expected next week.

Netanyahu’s coalition is near the end of its four-year term and must hold new elections by the end of October. But some of Netanyahu’s ultra-Orthodox governing partners have urged him to push up the vote slightly to early September.

The bill calls for elections “no less than 90 days” after it is approved, giving Netanyahu flexibility to choose a date when he feels he has the best chance of success.

The outgoing coalition has presided over a turbulent term that included the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks and wars in Gaza, Lebanon and Iran. Opinion polls have indicated that the coalition, comprised of religious and nationalist parties, could struggle to win reelection.

Beijing bans 4 New Zealand lawmakers from entering China because they visited Taiwan

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Beijing banned four New Zealand lawmakers from traveling to China for a year and demanded they apologize because they visited Taiwan on a parliamentary trip, according to a message from the Chinese embassy conveyed via parliamentary officials and shown to The Associated Press on Thursday. China has hit lawmakers from other countries with sanctions related to contact with Taiwan before, but it's the first time for New Zealand parliamentarians, the government in Wellington said. Beijing has been increasing pressure in recent years on the democratically governed island that it claims as its own territory. Two lawmakers reached by the AP on Thursday rejected the demand for an apology, while the other two could not be immediately reached. New Zealand's government said it would express concern about the travel bans to Beijing. The elected officials visited Taipei in May, as New Zealand parliamentarians have done “for decades,” a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Winston Peters said in a statement.
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