John Jefferson
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Monday the dissolution of the Israeli war cabinet. The move follows the departure of the centrists Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot from the cabinet and governing coalition on June 9.
The original six-member war cabinet included three voting members, Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as three observing members, Eisenkot, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, and the ultra-orthodox politician Aryeh Deri. Since the departure of Gantz and Eisenkot, it has been unclear whether they would be replaced or the much-diminished war cabinet would be disbanded.
Netanyahu’s decision to disband the war cabinet came in response to pressure from the right to include the rightist security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir, in the war cabinet as a replacement for Gantz. After Gantz’s resignation, Ben-Gvir had demanded his inclusion in the cabinet in a post on X.
Decisions related to the current war in Gaza and possible negotiations will now fall to a broader security cabinet, which includes right-wingers Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who both support further military action in Gaza.
Read the full article here