Israel: Netanyahu Dissolves Military Cabinet

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has announced that the military cabinet, set up after the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, to make strategic decisions on the operation in Gaza, has been dissolved.

The cabinet consisted of six people. Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot recently resigned from it, disagreeing with the battle course in Gaza. The far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir wanted to take the places of these politicians, who are former military officers and considered moderates. In announcing his resignation on June 9, Gantz accused Netanyahu of having mishandled the last phase of the war and putting his own political survival above all else. This, in his view, carried a threat to Israel’s security.

Gantz was one of the three most influential members of the military cabinet, along with Netanyahu himself and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. The latter has also been highly critical of the Prime Minister, although both belong to the same political formation, the Likud bloc.

Meanwhile, protests continue in the country. On Sunday, June 16, a group of Israeli anti-government activists initiated “a week of riots” aimed at holding new elections. This is also what Gantz recently asked for in the Knesset.