Opposition leader leaves in dispute
Netanyahu dissolves war cabinet
17.06.2024, 11:57 a.m.
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After the Hamas massacre, a war cabinet was formed in Israel, which also included opposition leader Gantz. Most recently, however, he criticized Prime Minister Netanyahu and left the emergency government. This will now be dissolved – and not replaced.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has dissolved his six-member war cabinet. A spokeswoman for the head of government confirmed media reports. The move had been widely expected. Opposition leader Benny Gantz announced his resignation from the body just over a week ago. Government sources said Netanyahu would discuss critical decisions related to the current conflicts in smaller forums in the future.
The emergency government was formed after the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023. Around 1,200 people were murdered in Israel. The war cabinet made important decisions regarding the fighting in the Gaza Strip and also with regard to the conflict with the Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah. In order to demonstrate unity after the Hamas attack, the then opposition politician Gantz joined the three-member war cabinet.
However, the former general and defense minister announced his resignation a week ago due to differences of opinion regarding the Gaza war. He accused Netanyahu of “hesitation and wasting time for political reasons” and complained that the government was not developing a plan for a post-war order in the Gaza Strip.
Along with Gantz, Gadi Eisenkot also withdrew from the war cabinet. The former general had been a non-voting observer. After the resignations, the dissolution of the war cabinet was already expected. The body had also served as a counterweight to Netanyahu’s right-wing extremist coalition partners. After Gantz’s resignation, the right-wing extremist police minister Itamar Ben-Gvir had called for him to be included in the war cabinet. However, this would have led to increased tensions with international supporters such as the USA.