Israel’s Emergency Government Is Set to Break Up This Weekend
Photo by Eyal Warshavsky/SOPA Images/Shutterstock
You may not know it due to the incredibly biased nature of most mainstream American coverage over the genocide of Gaza, but Israel is currently ruled by an emergency government. After Hamas’s October 7th attacks, opposition leader Benny Gantz joined with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to create a three-man war cabinet who has led their decision-making since that fateful day.
That cabinet is now set to break up, with Netanyahu failing to meet Gantz’s ultimatum from last month. The main issue is a disagreement over bringing back the hostages and Israel’s post-war vision of Gaza, as Netanyahu pushes for a military occupation while Gantz wants an international ruling body in Palestine. Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth obtained an Israeli government document that stated military control of the Gaza strip would cost $5.4 billion annually, and the document concluded that “Controlling Gaza means an unprecedented budget crisis.”
Essentially, the central sticking point seems to be that Netanyahu is determined to bankrupt Israel in order to further immiserate Palestinians. Gantz isn’t standing on principle here, but practicality.
New: A CIA assessment circulated among US officials this week concluded that Netanyahu likely judges he can get away without defining a post-war plan — even as Biden admin pressures him to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza.