Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved the War Cabinet responsible with driving the war in Gaza, officials said Monday.
This is coming days after a major member of the council quit the cabinet over concerns of the Israeli leader’s handling of the conflict.
The move was widely anticipated following the retirement of Benny Gantz, a moderate former military leader, earlier this month.
Gantz’s departure from the government leaves Netanyahu increasingly reliant on his ultranationalist friends to rule, and the collapse of the War Cabinet emphasizes that shift while the eight-month-long conflict in Gaza continues.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change with the media, said that going forward Netanyahu would hold smaller forums with some of his government members for sensitive issues surrounding the war. That includes his security Cabinet, where far-right governing partners who oppose cease-fire deals and have voiced support for reoccupying Gaza, are members.
The War Cabinet was founded in the early days of the war, when Gantz, then an opposition party leader and Netanyahu challenger, joined the coalition in a show of solidarity in response to Hamas’ onslaught on southern Israel on October 7.
It was made up of three members: Gantz, Netanyahu, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, who worked together to make critical decisions throughout the conflict.
The decision to disband the War Cabinet comes as Israel faces more critical decisions.
Israel and Hamas are weighing the latest proposal for a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack.
Netanyahu has played a balancing act throughout the war between pressures from Israel’s top ally, the U.S., and the growing global opposition to the war and from his government partners, chief among them Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Both have threatened to topple the government should Israel move ahead on a cease-fire deal.
The latest proposal being considered is part of the Biden administration’s most concentrated push to help wind down the war. For now, progress on a deal appears to remain elusive.
Critics say Netanyahu’s wartime decision-making has been influenced by the ultranationalists in his government and by his desire to remain in power.
Netanyahu denies the accusations and says he has the country’s best interests in mind.
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