Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has disbanded his six-member war cabinet, an Israeli official confirmed on Monday. This move, which was widely anticipated, followed the departure of former general Benny Gantz from the government.
Netanyahu will now engage in consultations regarding the Gaza war with a smaller group of ministers. This group includes Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, both of whom were part of the war cabinet.
The prime minister had been under pressure from his nationalist-religious coalition partners, particularly Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, to include them in the war cabinet. Such a step would likely have strained relations with international partners, notably the United States.
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The war cabinet was originally formed when Gantz joined Netanyahu’s government in a national unity coalition at the outset of the conflict in October. Besides Gantz and his partner Gadi Eisenkot, Aryeh Deri of the religious party Shas also participated as observers.
Gantz and Eisenkot exited the government last week, citing Netanyahu’s alleged failure to develop a coherent strategy for the Gaza conflict.
