[ad_1]
photo: AFP/Leo Correa
go through Julia Frankel and Jack JeffreyAssociated Press
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday dissolved his wartime cabinet, a move that consolidates his influence over Israel’s war with Hamas and could make a near-term ceasefire in the Gaza Strip less likely.
Netanyahu’s announcement came days after his main political rival, Benny Gantz, Resigned from the three-member war cabinetGantz is a retired general and member of parliament who is widely seen as a more moderate voice.
Now, major war policy will be approved solely by Netanyahu’s security cabinet, a larger body dominated by hardliners who oppose U.S.-backed ceasefire proposals and want to continue the war.
Netanyahu is expected to consult with close allies on some decisions in impromptu meetings, said an Israeli official who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media.
The closed-door meetings could weaken some of the influence of hardliners. But Netanyahu himself has shown little enthusiasm for the ceasefire plan, and his reliance on the entire security cabinet could give him cover to delay decision-making.
Palestinians inspect the ruins after Israeli troops withdrew from Nusayrat in Gaza on June 8, 2024.
photo: Hames Al-Rafi/AFP
Here is the main background on the War Cabinet and what its disbanding means for the prospects of a ceasefire:
Why did Gantz join the war cabinet and then leave?
After the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, opposition leader Gantz formed a war cabinet with Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a show of unity.
At the time, Gantz called for a small decision-making body to direct the war in order to exclude far-right members of Netanyahu’s government.
But Gantz resigned from the cabinet earlier this month amid months of heightened tensions over Israel’s strategy in Gaza.
He said he was fed up with the lack of progress in bringing home dozens of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. He accused Netanyahu of dragging out the war to avoid new elections and corruption trials. He called on Netanyahu to approve a plan that would, among other things, rescue the hostages and end Hamas rule in Gaza.
When Netanyahu did not express support for the plan, Gantz announced his resignation, saying the cabinet’s “major strategic decisions” were being “hesitant and delayed” by “political considerations.”
How will Israel’s wartime policy change?
The disbanding of the war cabinet will only further distance Netanyahu from centrist politicians who are more willing to reach a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.
Benny Ganz.
photo: MARK SCHIFELBEIN/POOL/AFP
Months of ceasefire talks have failed to find common ground between leaders of Hamas and Israel, neither of which is willing to fully endorse a U.S.-backed plan that would repatriate the hostages, pave the way for an end to the war, and begin rebuilding the devastated territories.
Netanyahu will now rely on members of his security cabinet, some of whom oppose the ceasefire and have expressed support for reoccupying Gaza.
Monday’s move may help distance itself from Ben-Gvir, Israel’s ultra-nationalist National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who was asked by Gantz to be included in the new cabinet after his departure, but it will not exclude him entirely.
The move also gives Netanyahu leeway to delay the war to stay in power. Netanyahu’s critics accuse him of delaying because ending the war would mean the government would launch an investigation on Oct. 7 and increase the likelihood of new elections at a time when the prime minister’s approval ratings are low.
“That means he will make all the decisions himself or with people he trusts who will not challenge him,” said Gideon Rahat, chairman of the political science department at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. “His interest is in fighting a war of slow attrition.”
-Associated Press
[ad_2]
Source link
