Benjamin Netanyahu he dissolved the war cabinet who had so far supervised the conflict in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli Prime Minister informed the ministers that he had dissolved the body formed in the aftermath of the massacre carried out by Hamas on October 7, adding that a new one will not be formed after the exit of Benny Gantz from the current one. “The war cabinet was part of a coalition agreement with Gantz, at his request. Since Gantz is gone, there is no longer any need for a toilet“, Netanyahu explained. From now on, Netanyahu himself is expected to hold consultations on the ongoing conflict with a small group of ministers, including that of Defense, Yoav Gallantand that of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer.
Netanyahu’s decision
The dissolution of the war cabinet is not expected to have a significant impact on the conflict – the decision-making process, after all, will return to safety cabinet – bad political consequences they could be very significant. Netanyahu’s move appears to be a deliberate snub to far-right allies in the coalition, including the minister of national security, Itamar Ben-Gvirwho had sought a post in the aforementioned cabinet after Gantz’s exit.
It cannot therefore be ruled out that the prime minister took this decision, as mentioned, to keep some of his allies at bay, but also to consolidate his grip on the decision process relating to the country’s army’s fighting against Hamas and Hebzollah. In Israel, media speculate that Netanyahu intends to make key decisions in meetings with his own advisors, excluding Ben-Gvir, before presenting them to the security cabinet.
If so, the prime minister and defense minister will hold ad hoc consultations with other relevant officials to make key decisions about the war, while seeking final approval from the broader security cabinet. According to Yedioth Ahronoth, far-right leaders and government ministers Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich will be excluded from these consultations.
What happens in Israel
The Israeli Prime Minister highlighted Reutershad had to face demands from his nationalist-religious coalition partners, the finance minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to be included in the war cabinet, in a move that would have escalated tensions with international partners, including the United States.
Netanyahu’s move, however, comes at a delicate moment for Tel Aviv, in the midst of divergent opinions between the leader himself and the senior commanders of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). In the last few hours, the indiscretion had emerged according to which the IDF had allowed a daily tactical break in the south of the Gaza Strip, from 8am to 7pm, officially to allow humanitarian aid to arrive on site through the Kerem Shalom crossing.
The prime minister’s office later said that when Netanyahu heard the news Sunday morning of a humanitarian pause in fighting for 11 hours a day, he told his military secretary that this “era unacceptable“.
After the situation was clarified, Netanyahu himself made it clear that there would be no change in IDF policy and that the fighting in Rafah would continue.”as expected“.
