Israel’s Prime Minister Netanyahu has dissolved his war cabinet. There will probably not be a new edition. According to government circles, future decisions will be discussed in “smaller forums”.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his six-member war cabinet, according to a government official. The move was widely expected after former general Benny Gantz announced his resignation from the body just over a week ago.
Opposition leader Gantz justified his decision with differences of opinion. He accused Netanyahu of “hesitation and wasting time for political reasons” and complained that the government had not drawn up a plan for a post-war order in the Gaza Strip. Along with Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot also withdrew from the war cabinet. The former general was a non-voting observer.
Founded after Hamas attack on Israel
Netanyahu had put together the emergency government four days after the Islamist terrorist group Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. It made important decisions regarding the fighting in the Gaza Strip and also with regard to the conflict with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah.
In order to demonstrate unity after the Hamas attack, opposition politician Gantz joined the war cabinet. In addition to Netanyahu, it also included Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and, as observers, ministers Ron Dermer and Arye Deri.
It is expected that Netanyahu will not form a new war cabinet. Government sources said that Netanyahu would discuss critical decisions with regard to the current conflicts in smaller forums in the future. Netanyahu had previously been confronted with demands from his national-religious coalition to include representatives of the far-right coalition partners in the war cabinet. However, this would have led to increased tensions with international supporters such as the USA.