Israeli cabinet approves snap polls; Parliament to decide

Buoyed by opinion polls and an opposition in disarray, Israel's hawkish Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet has approved his request for snap polls on September 4.

The bill to bring forward the polls, which were scheduled for next year, is now due for vote in the Knesset (Israeli parliament).

Netanyahu said that he intends on forming a government that will bring about "stability" after the polls under his leadership, enabling him to successfully lead the state of Israel.

"For dozens of years, there hasn't been a more stable government in Israel," Netanyahu said about the current right-wing coalition adding, "I would have been very glad if we could have completed the term, but having a short election season is the right thing to do".

"It is no secret that with the beginning of the fourth year of this term, there has been some instability within the coalition ?" between parties and within parties," he noted, close on the heels of opinion polls citing his party emerging stronger after the polls, increasing its lead over others.

The Israeli premier stressed that the weakening of the coalition harms Israel's security, economy, and society, and for this reason the right thing to do is "to launch speedy elections".

Delivering the keynote speech yesterday evening at his Likud party's conference, the hawkish leader had made his intentions to call for early polls clear.