The functionality of the war cabinet does not mean that personal accounts are deleted; they are only suspended, according to Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute. He also emphasized that there is no harmony within the cabinet, only an understanding of the seriousness of the situation.
Analysts argue that it is in Mr. Netanyahu’s interest to keep Israel in a state of war as it allows him to avoid an inquiry into the failures of Oct. 7 and the resulting political consequences.
The war cabinet has not yet defined when it will consider Hamas to be defeated and dismantled, nor has it provided a clear plan for governing Gaza after the war. Members of the cabinet have only given general statements, stating that Israel will have to maintain security but does not want to control daily life in Gaza.
As the war in Gaza continues into its third month, pressure is mounting on Israel’s leaders to achieve results, both internally by defeating Hamas and freeing Israeli hostages, and externally by reducing civilian casualties and addressing the humanitarian crisis. These external pressures intensified when President Biden, Israel’s closest ally, criticized the military’s bombing campaign as “indiscriminate” and disagreed with Mr. Netanyahu on the role the Palestinian Authority should play in postwar Gaza.
Mr. Netanyahu has clashed with the Biden administration regarding the “day after” the war. He rejected an American plan for the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza after the war, citing the authority’s alleged teaching of hatred towards Israel and refusal to denounce the Oct. 7 attack. Mr. Gantz and Mr. Eisenkot have not publicly commented on this matter.
Mr. Netanyahu has assigned Mr. Dermer and Tzachi Hanegbi, a loyal national security adviser, to plan for Gaza’s future.
Former Israeli Foreign Minister, Ms. Livni, stated that there are two completely different world views within the war cabinet regarding the post-war situation. She noted that Mr. Gantz and his allies have not ruled out the American vision of a peace process leading to a Palestinian state.
Eventually, due to the war or disagreements over Gaza’s fate, it is likely that the war cabinet will fracture, leading Israel to be at war with itself once again.