Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to dissolve the small war cabinet he set up at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas conflict, returning to Israel’s previous governing structure.
Following Hamas’ incursion into Israel, Netanyahu formed the war cabinet, which included former Defense Minister Benny Gantz, a centrist rival. The cabinet consisted of three voting members – Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant – as well as observers, and was responsible for making crucial decisions regarding Israel’s military operations in Gaza and other border skirmishes.
Gantz’s party recently departed from the coalition, leading to his resignation from the war cabinet due to disagreements with Netanyahu over post-war plans for Gaza.
With Gantz’s party exiting the coalition, the government has reverted to its pre-war makeup, comprising right-wing and religious parties, including hardline ministers. Some of these individuals, like National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir from the far-right, are pushing to join the war cabinet following Gantz’s departure.
Instead of the war cabinet, Netanyahu and Gallant, alongside the security cabinet – a select group of ministers responsible for Israeli military policy decisions, will now oversee the conflict. This adjustment comes as U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein visits Israel to ease tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group.
Ben-Gvir and another far-right minister, Bezalel Smotrich, are part of the security cabinet. Despite public support for a ceasefire deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages, they advocate for an unrestricted continuation of the conflict and have even proposed the resettlement of Gaza with Israeli settlements, a proposal that Netanyahu has thus far rejected.