Clearly this latest news is an appropriate follow up to my last report
The group had included Benny Gantz and Gadi Eisenkot, who resigned from it earlier this month
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential war cabinet tasked with steering the war in Gaza, Israeli officials said Monday, a move that comes days after a key member of the body bolted the government over frustrations surrounding the Israeli leader’s handling of the war.
There had also been a large protest over the week end, mentioned in the CBC piece.
The move was widely expected following Benny Gantz’s departure earlier this month, which he said came after mounting frustrations over Netanyahu’s handling of the war. Gantz’s absence makes Netanyahu more dependent on his ultranationalist allies to govern, and the dissolution of the war cabinet underlines that shift is underway as Israel continues its eight-month-long war in Gaza.
The cabinet consisted of Netanyahu, Gantz, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Gantz’s partner, Gadi Eisenkot — a former chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Forces whose son was killed in fighting in Gaza in December — and Aryeh Deri, head of the religious party Shas, served as observers.
Large protests on the weekend
Gantz’s departure, while not posing a direct threat to Netanyahu’s rule, rocked Israeli politics at a sensitive time. The popular former military chief was seen as a statesman who boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners at a time when Israel finds itself at its most isolated.
Netanyahu’s government is Israel’s most religious and right-wing ever. In Israel’s fractious parliamentary system, Netanyahu relies on a group of small parties to help keep his government afloat.