Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the end of the war cabinet in a Sunday meeting with the National Security Cabinet (NSC), a spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office confirmed on Monday.
“The cabinet was in the coalition agreement with [National Unity MK Benny] Gantz at his request. As soon as Gantz left – there is no need for a cabinet anymore,” Netanyahu reportedly said during the NSC meeting.
According to Netanyahu, there will not be a new cabinet formed of the leaders of the coalition parties, an idea previously put forward by far-right ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir.
No new cabinet
Instead, the statutory NSC will convene at a higher frequency, and Netanyahu will also hold ad-hoc “security consultations” when necessary, the spokesperson said.
The move is seen by most observers as Netanyahu’s strategy of deflecting the demand by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to be added to the war cabinet. The prime minister previously had refrained from bringing some sensitive information to the NSC out of fear of leaks, and it remains to be seen how the NSC will operate in this regard.
The war cabinet had included Gantz and fellow National Unity Minister Gadi Eisenkot, as well as Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Shas chairman MK Aryeh Deri was an observer at the war cabinet meetings as well.
During the government plenum’s weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday, Netanyahu said that “in order to reach the goal of eliminating the capabilities of Hamas, [I] made decisions that were not always acceptable to the military echelon.”
“We have a country with an army and not an army with a country,” the prime minister said.
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