Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the influential War Cabinet tasked with leading the conflict in Gaza, Israeli officials said Monday, a move that comes days after a key member of the body expelled the government over frustrations over to the Israeli leader’s handling of the conflict.
The move was widely expected following the departure of Benny Gantz, a centrist former military chief, earlier this month. Gantz’s absence from the government makes Netanyahu more reliant on his ultranationalist allies to govern, and the dissolution of the War Cabinet underscores that shift as the eight-month conflict in Gaza drags on.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change with the media, said that in the future Netanyahu would hold smaller forums with some of his government members to discuss sensitive issues related to the conflict. That includes his security cabinet, which includes members of far-right ruling partners who oppose the ceasefire agreements and have expressed support for the reoccupation of Gaza.
The War Cabinet was formed in the early days of the conflict, when Gantz, then leader of Netanyahu’s opposition party and rival, joined the coalition in a show of unity following the October 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. . He had demanded that a small decision-making body steer the conflict, in a bid to sideline far-right members of Netanyahu’s government.
It was made up of three members (Gantz, Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant), and together they made important decisions throughout the conflict.
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The decision to eliminate the War Cabinet comes as Israel faces more fundamental decisions.
Israel and Hamas are weighing the latest ceasefire proposal in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack. Israeli troops are still stuck in the Gaza Strip, fighting in the southern city of Rafah and against pockets of resurgent Hamas elsewhere. And violence continues unabated between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, with a Biden administration envoy to the region in a bid to prevent a broader conflict on a second front.
Netanyahu has played a balancing act throughout the conflict between pressures from Israel’s main ally, the United States, and growing global opposition to the conflict and from his government partners, including Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Minister of National Security, Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Both have threatened to overthrow the government if Israel moves toward a ceasefire agreement. The latest proposal under consideration is part of the Biden administration’s more focused push to help reduce the conflict. For now, progress toward an agreement appears to remain elusive.
Critics say Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making has been influenced by ultranationalists in his government and his desire to remain in power. Netanyahu denies the allegations and says he has the country’s best interests in mind.
Gantz’s departure, while not posing a direct threat to Netanyahu’s government, shook Israeli politics at a delicate time. The popular former military chief was seen as a statesman who boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners at a time when Israel has found itself more isolated. Gantz is now leader of the opposition party in parliament.
Netanyahu’s government is the most religious and nationalist in Israel’s history. In Israel’s fragmented parliamentary system, Netanyahu relies on a handful of small parties to help keep his government afloat, and without the support of Gantz’s party, Netanyahu is expected to be more beholden to far-right allies. .
© 2024 The Canadian Press
