According to Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, the war cabinet’s functionality “doesn’t mean the personal accounts are deleted; they are just suspended.” He added, “There’s no harmony there, just an understanding of the gravity of the moment.”
Analysts said that it is in Mr. Netanyahu’s interest to keep Israel in a state of war, as it allows him to stave off an inquiry into the failures of Oct. 7 and the likely political reckoning.
For now, the war cabinet has not articulated at what point it will consider Hamas to be defeated and dismantled, nor has it delivered a clear vision for who will govern Gaza after the war.
Pressure is growing on Israel’s leaders to show results as the war in Gaza enters its third month, both internally and externally.
Mr. Netanyahu has disagreed with the Biden administration about the postwar role the Western-backed Palestinian Authority might play in Gaza.
Mr. Gantz and Mr. Eisenkot have kept quiet on the matter, while Mr. Netanyahu has entrusted Mr. Dermer and Tzachi Hanegbi with planning Gaza’s future.
“There are two completely different world views” within the war cabinet over handling the aftermath, and at some point, the war cabinet is likely to crack, leading Israel to be back at war with itself.