Netanyahu Calls for Elections "As Soon As Possible"

Concludes he cannot pass a 2013 with the current Knesset

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu ignited an expedited election campaign Tuesday night when he announced that he would seek an early election when the Knesset returns from its extended summer recess next Monday.

In a statement he delivered at the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, Netanyahu said that after completing his round of meetings with his coalition partners, he concluded that he could not pass the 2013 state budget, so he would have no choice but to initiate elections.