Jerusalem ( CNN ) Israeli lawmakers voted to dissolve the nation 's parliament Monday amid mounting political upheaval . The bill dissolving the 120-seat Knesset passed with 93 votes in favor . No one voted against it . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for the dissolution as he sacked two senior members of his coalition Cabinet for criticizing government policy . Last week the speaker of the Knesset said new elections would likely be held on March 17 . The moves come at a tenuous time in Israel , which has been beset by a number of recent terrorist attacks against citizens in Jerusalem . The head of the right-wing Likud party , Netanyahu has been Israel 's Prime Minister since 2009 . But he 's had to rely on members of other parties -- many of them to the left of Likud on the political spectrum -- to govern . Netanyahu told reporters last week that a divided government was one of Israel 's problems , saying there was a lot of debate , contradictions and ultimatums . He ordered letters of dismissal for Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Justice Minister Tzipi Livni , two members of his Cabinet from rival parties . `` During the last few weeks and , in particular , the last few days , the ministers have intensely attacked the government that I am leading , '' Netanyahu said . `` ... I will not tolerate ministers attacking the government 's policy and its head from inside the government . '' The call for new elections means Israel is effectively in a state of political paralysis until March . Israel held its last election just 22 months ago . A poll for Israel 's Channel 2 suggested that 55 % of those surveyed were against another election being held so soon . Monday 's vote makes the 19th Knesset one of the shortest serving parliaments in Israel 's 66-year history , according to Natan Sachs , a foreign policy fellow at the Brookings Institution 's Center for Middle East Policy in Washington . The moves come at a tumultuous time for Israel , Sachs wrote in an opinion column for CNN.com last week . `` With the dramatic challenges Israel faces , domestically , regionally and internationally , expect the sense of malaise in Israeli politics to deepen , '' he wrote . `` These elections may simply be a prelude to a deeper political crisis . '' CNN 's Michael Schwartz reported from Jerusalem . CNN 's Catherine E. Shoichet wrote the story in Atlanta . CNN 's Ben Wedeman and Laura Smith-Spark contributed to this report .
A vote to dissolve the parliament , leaving it in political paralysis . The bill passed with 93 votes in favor ; no one voted against it . Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called for the dissolution .