Israeli parliament votes to disband, hold election on April 9

The Israeli Knesset has voted to dissolve the current parliament, scheduling new elections for April 9. In what was largely a formality, the Knesset voted late on Wednesday in favor of dissolution by a 102-2 margin, AP reported. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced earlier this week that he was disbanding his coalition and taking the nation to new elections six months ahead of schedule. The country now heads into a three-month campaign. Opinion polls have suggested that Netanyahu’s nationalist Likud Party will easily win re-election.