Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is dissolving the country's already decimated war cabinet, which was established at the outbreak of the Gaza war in October last year.
Netanyahu announces that he will continue to consult in a "limited forum" when it comes to particularly sensitive decisions, according to Israeli media.
The war cabinet was already a increasingly limited forum, as opposition leader Benny Gantz jumped ship last week in protest against how Prime Minister Netanyahu is conducting the ongoing war in Gaza. Gantz had set an ultimatum with demands that Netanyahu should present a plan for Gaza's future after the war, which had not happened.
Only Two Left
The war cabinet consisted, at the time of the dissolution, of only Benjamin Netanyahu and his Defence Minister and party colleague Yoav Gallant.
The cabinet was part of the coalition agreement with Gantz, according to his wish. As soon as Gantz left, there was no longer any need for a cabinet, said Netanyahu after a meeting on Sunday, according to The Jerusalem Post.
In the war cabinet, Benjamin Netanyahu had a platform for coordination with Israel's more moderate opposition parties. After Gantz's resignation, the far-right Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir – whose support Netanyahu needed in the first place to form his government – demanded a seat in the war cabinet.
Extreme Influence
Ben-Gvir and other radical voices are demanding that Israel goes further in the war against Gaza, at a time when the international community, including allied USA, is trying to mediate a ceasefire with more long-term plans for coexistence in the Middle East. It is then about the foundations for a two-state solution, which Benjamin Netanyahu and above all his more extreme government base have categorically opposed.
On Sunday, Israel's military announced that it was initiating a "tactical pause" in its offensive against southern Gaza, to enable the introduction of more humanitarian aid. However, that decision was reportedly made by military leaders and not at a political level.
