Israeli Prime Minister Dissolves War Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the country's war cabinet, which had played a central role in making wartime decisions since the onset of the Gaza war. On Monday, June 18, he informed government ministers that from now on, he would make 'sensitive decisions' in consultation with a limited group of ministers. Netanyahu's decision to dissolve the war cabinet came after the official resignation of Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, two senior ministers from their party 'National Unity,' from the government coalition. Gantz and Eisenkot, both former chiefs of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, joined the government coalition in the first week following the attack by the extremist group Hamas on Israeli territory on October 7 last year, to ensure that government decisions regarding the war had the support of a majority of parties. Israeli public opinion had welcomed this alliance. Hamas is recognized as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, and its attack on Israeli territory led to the Israeli military's war in the Gaza Strip, which has now entered its ninth month. Gantz resigned from the war cabinet criticizing Netanyahu, stating that they had reached the end of their influence on Netanyahu's decisions. They accused Netanyahu of canceling or delaying some important decisions regarding war-related policies and post-war periods 'under the influence of the far-right parties allied with the ruling Likud party.' Netanyahu expressed disappointment over Gantz and Eisenkot's departure from the war cabinet and had called for them to continue their alliance in the wartime crisis. The Israeli war cabinet had five members, including Netanyahu, Gantz, and Eisenkot, along with two other members, General Yoav Gallant, the defense minister, and Ron Dermer, the minister of strategic affairs. Both Gallant and Dermer are from the ruling Likud party, but during the war, General Gallant had closer positions to Gantz and Eisenkot, and some of his disagreements with the prime minister became public. Itamar Ben-Gvir, the national security minister, and Bezalel Smotrich, who retains the position of finance minister and is also a minister in the defense ministry, requested Netanyahu to include Gantz and Eisenkot in the war cabinet following their departure. Ben-Gvir and Smotrich are leaders of the right-wing parties allied with the government coalition, advocating for a more aggressive approach in Gaza and a battle against Hezbollah in Lebanon, believing that Gantz and Eisenkot had 'tied Netanyahu's hands' in adopting a more decisive action. By dissolving the war cabinet, Netanyahu effectively rejected Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's request for their inclusion. Netanyahu stated that he would consult individuals like Rabbi Aryeh Deri, the secretary-general of the religious party 'Shas,' for sensitive decisions related to the war. Rabbi Deri is not a cabinet member due to legal reasons, but his party has ministers in the government. Rabbi Deri has over 30 years of experience in Israeli cabinets and, despite his religious approach, is considered a moderate politician. His party announced last week that it supports Israel's deal with Hamas to return 120 Israeli hostages, whether alive or dead, held by Hamas in Gaza. The decision to dissolve the war cabinet comes amid reports of escalating tensions between the military and Netanyahu. The military announced a 'tactical pause' for 11 hours each day at the Rafah border to increase aid for Gaza residents, but both the defense minister and the prime minister stated that the military's decision was not made with their approval. According to Channel Kan, the military informed the media that the decision to increase aid to Gaza through Rafah was made two weeks ago in a meeting with the government. Netanyahu expressed implicit anger at the military's decision, stating, 'The country has an army, not the other way around.' The decision to increase aid to Gaza was made amid concerns about the potential actions of the International Criminal Court in The Hague issuing arrest warrants for Israeli officials, aiming to ease the tense atmosphere in the international community regarding Israel. Additionally, according to Haaretz, the death of eight soldiers in an attack by Hamas members with an anti-tank rocket early Saturday in the Rafah area prompted the military to consider making a final decision regarding the war situation in Rafah as soon as possible. The number of Israeli casualties in Rafah increased to 11 on Sunday. Meanwhile, Major General Yaron Finkelman, commander of the southern branch of the Israeli army, stated during a visit to the commanders of the brigades stationed in Rafah that the army is prepared to continue the war in Rafah until Hamas is also destroyed in that area.