When Benny Gantz resigned on June 9, Benjamin Netanyahu declared the war cabinet unnecessary.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved on Monday the war cabinet overseeing the Gaza war, rejecting calls from his far-right allies who sought seats, Israeli media reported.
The war cabinet was initially formed when Benny Gantz and his National Unity party joined an emergency coalition last October.
When Gantz resigned on June 9, Netanyahu declared the war cabinet unnecessary.
Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, one of the war cabinet’s observers, recently quit the coalition. Netanyahu is now expected to consult on the Gaza war with a smaller group of ministers, including Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, both former members of the war cabinet.
The prime minister is now expected to hold consultations about the Gaza war with a small group of ministers, including the Israeli defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and the Strategic Affairs Minister, Ron Dermer, who were part of the war cabinet.
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According to Al-Jazeera, the cabinet will be replaced by a reduced council for consultations, excluding Netanyahu’s far-right allies, the likes of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who sought a war cabinet seat after Gantz’s departure.
The decision comes amid divisions between Netanyahu and senior Israeli military commanders.
According to Israeli media, Netanyahu told the full cabinet on Sunday that “in order to reach the goal of eliminating the capabilities of Hamas, (he had) made decisions that were not always acceptable to the military echelon.”
He emphasized that the country has a civilian government overseeing the military.
“We have a country with an army and not an army with a country,” Netanyahu reportedly said.
Gantz’s Resignation
Israeli War Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz resigned from the emergency unity government led by Netanyahu on June 9.
In a press conference held in Tel Aviv, Gantz urged Netanyahu to call for early elections “as soon as possible.”
“Do not let our nation tear apart,” Gantz implored.
“Unfortunately, Netanyahu prevents us from achieving true victory,” he continued. “To ensure a real victory, we should hold elections this fall, a year after the disaster, to establish a government that will gain the people’s trust and effectively face our challenges.”
‘Fatal Strategic Decisions’ – Gantz, Eisenkot Resign from Israeli War Cabinet
Gantz also called on Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to resign from Netanyahu’s government.
“Defense Minister, you are a courageous and determined leader, and above all, a patriot. At this time, leadership and courage mean not only saying what’s right but doing what’s right,” Gantz stated.
Gantz, who joined the government on October 7, had set June 8 as a deadline for Netanyahu to draft a post-war plan for Gaza or he would leave the coalition.
Gadi Eisenkot, a former Israeli chief of staff and observer in the War Cabinet, also announced his resignation on Sunday.
Ongoing Genocide
Currently on trial before the International Court of Justice for genocide against Palestinians, Israel has been waging a devastating war on Gaza since October 7.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 37,347 Palestinians have been killed, and 85,372 wounded in Israel’s ongoing genocide in Gaza starting on October 7.
Moreover, at least 7,000 people are unaccounted for, presumed dead under the rubble of their homes throughout the Strip.
Palestinian and international organizations say that the majority of those killed and wounded are women and children.
The Israeli war has resulted in an acute famine, mostly in northern Gaza, resulting in the death of many Palestinians, mostly children.
The Israeli aggression has also resulted in the forceful displacement of nearly two million people from all over the Gaza Strip, with the vast majority of the displaced forced into the densely crowded southern city of Rafah near the border with Egypt – in what has become Palestine’s largest mass exodus since the 1948 Nakba.
Israel says that 1,200 soldiers and civilians were killed during the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on October 7. Israeli media published reports suggesting that many Israelis were killed on that day by ‘friendly fire’.
(The Palestine Chronicle)
Quote: ” “We have a country with an army and not an army with a country,” Netanyahu reportedly said.” CloseQuote. Uri Avnery at least once compared Israel to the Kingdom of Prussia (before the unification of Germany under Bismarck) – as am army with a state, not a state with an army. I think he was right.