Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet after Benny Gantz resignation
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has dissolved the war cabinet, a body set up in the wake of the Hamas attack last October to oversee military operations in Gaza and on the northern border. The decision was expected days after the resignation of Benny Gantz, a centrist politician and former Israeli defence minister, last week.
After months of disagreements with Netanyahu, Gantz opted to leave the cabinet, claiming that the prime minister was "preventing progress towards a real victory". The former defence minister has accused the prime minister of prioritising his own political survival in the midst of the war and failing to present concrete plans for Gaza's future once the military operation ends.
In a televised speech, Gantz called on Netanyahu to set a date for elections, something also demanded by much of Israeli society. "Let our nation not fall apart," he added.
In addition to Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot, former head of the Israel Defence Forces, also opted out of the cabinet, where he was serving as an observer. Eisenkot, like Gantz, also accused Netanyahu of making military decisions based on his political interests.
Now, following Gantz's resignation and the dissolution of the cabinet, Netanyahu is expected to consult on war-related issues with a smaller group consisting of Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who were already part of the cabinet. Also present will be the head of the National Security Council, Tzachi Hanegbi, and the ultra-Orthodox leader of the Shas party, Arieh Deri.
The dissolution of the cabinet is unlikely to have a significant impact on the Gaza war, although political consequences are expected. For the moment, Netanyahu's move has been seen as a strategy to keep far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir, who have long demanded a cabinet seat, especially after Gantz's resignation, out of decisions on the war.
Furthermore, according to Israeli media reports, Netanyahu intends to make key decisions in meetings with his own advisors, excluding Ben Gvir, before presenting them to the security cabinet.
Protests continue in Israel as new internal rifts emerge
The decision comes amid massive anti-government demonstrations calling for elections and a ceasefire in Gaza that would allow the release of the more than 100 hostages still held by Hamas and other terrorist groups in the Palestinian enclave. They are also demanding equality in military conscription following the controversy surrounding the exemption of the ultra-Orthodox.
Netanyahu's decision coincides with new rifts between the executive and the army, after the military authorities announced "tactical pauses" in the fighting in Gaza to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
Netanyahu and some of his ministers, such as Ben Gvir, criticised the move as 'unacceptable'. The national security minister even called the decision-maker a 'fool' and said he should lose his job.