The British newspaper The Times reported that an Israeli security official has stated that the Israeli War Government is on the brink of collapse, and that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is hesitant and wasting time.
The newspaper pointed out that the War Government, which was hastily formed due to the war on Gaza Strip, faces numerous questions about whether to continue the war against Hamas or to agree to a ceasefire that would allow the release of 136 Israeli detainees still in the sector.
The report highlighted that disagreements over these issues, along with other challenges related to who will govern Gaza after the war ends, are tearing the Israeli War Government apart.
It was also mentioned that some statements reveal the turmoil within the Israeli war leadership, Gadi Eisenkot, the former Israeli army commander and a member of the cabinet, accused Prime Minister Netanyahu of withholding the truth about military objectives in Gaza.
Sharp Disputes
In the same context, the Israeli site “Walla” revealed on Saturday that the Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant attempted to storm Netanyahu’s office, and the situation nearly escalated into a physical altercation.
Gallant threatened the Minister of Strategic Affairs, Ron Dermer with bringing in the Golani Brigade to take control of the situation in the war council.
Dermer, who renounced his American citizenship to assume the position of an economic envoy in Washington before becoming an ambassador there, is one of Netanyahu’s closest confidants.
According to “Walla,” Netanyahu’s team observed Gallant’s team recording the proceedings of the security meetings on audio tape.
Israeli media had reported that Gallant walked out of a war cabinet meeting last Saturday because his office director was prevented from attending, with tensions within the council increasing.
At the time, Israeli Channel 12 cited a source saying that the minister’s withdrawal came after he arrived at the meeting location, and his aide was prevented from entering with him. However, when Gallant entered the room, he found five of Netanyahu’s assistants present.
The source added that “Netanyahu told Gallant, as long as your assistant did not attend, your assistant should not either, despite the presence of five of his staff there.” This prompted the Defense Minister to withdraw.
According to the channel, Netanyahu believes that the military is leaking some information related to the discussions or bilateral talks.
Over recent months, the Israeli media has frequently mentioned ongoing disputes between Gallant and Netanyahu, related to the management of the war on Gaza Strip and post-war strategies, as well as Netanyahu’s repeated attempts to blame the army for the war on Gaza.
Many Israeli analysts indicate that each member of the war council is only thinking about their political future, not the interest of Israel.
Ofer Shelah, a researcher at the Institute for National Security Studies, observes that since the first day of the war, council members have been preparing for the aftermath. “They are haunted by the ghost of October 7, and each one of them is running disgraceful media campaigns through the satellite channels claiming they are doing well, but the others are wrong.”
