Three far-right ministers and chief of staff clash over Israeli cabinet ‘Gaza reconstruction’

Three far-right ministers and chief of staff clash over Israeli cabinet ‘Gaza reconstruction’

Israel's war cabinet was put on ice after right-wing ministers attacked Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi during a post-war management meeting in the Gaza Strip, leading to a shouting match, Time of Israel quoted an authentic source at the cabinet meeting. It was reported on the 5th.
The Israeli Defense Minister's plan to rebuild the Gaza Strip was proposed to include 'a ban on the stationing of civilians' and 'a central role in the internal affairs of the local Palestinian Authority' in maintaining complete military control of the IDF. It was scheduled to be discussed at the War Cabinet meeting on the 4th, but the ministers clashed head-on. The meeting itself was canceled.
According to the ‘Wala’ news site, on this day, right-wing ministers strongly attacked the Chief of Staff’s formation of the ‘Military Negligence Investigation Team’, including Shaul Mofaz, who was Minister of Defense until 2002, and shouts were heard, the newspaper said.
Far-right ministers Miri Regev, David Amsalem, and Itamar Ben Gvir were named, and during the meeting about Mofaz's intervention, they said, "Halebi will withdraw from Gaza." He loudly protested, “I appointed the people behind ,” Walla News reported.
The newspaper quoted Minister Regev as saying that Cannes Broadcasting Corporation appointed "Mofaz? You are crazy."
The newspaper reported that the three right-wing ministers disputed the timing of the announcement while the war was still going on, and when current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant silenced the three and began defending Halevi, Ben Gvir Minister Gvir criticized the attack, saying it "continues to rely on critics' portrayal of a failed concept of geopolitics revealed by the attack."
In response, Secretary of the War Cabinet Benny Gantz, who served as the moderate Chief of Staff and Minister of Defense, said, “This is a professional investigation, so what does the departure have to do with the plan?” and “The Chief of the General Staff said, “The Chief of Staff is a member of our war cabinet who can plan our combat goals and confrontation in the north. “We are fucking investigating what happened to his abilities,” he said.
As other ministers screamed, Prime Minister Netanyahu ended the cabinet meeting.
The Ynet news site reported that the cabinet meeting ended three hours later with Prime Minister Netanyahu sending everyone home.
“A minister could be heard down the hallway screaming during a cabinet meeting as ministers bickered over the IDF (Israeli) investigation,” Khan public broadcaster said. Another minister said, "This was a mean-spirited discussion and it exploded. They attacked the military. Some of the senior officials of the Ministry of Defense left midway."
“The government needs to reconsider whether it is appropriate for the current security cabinet to make decisions on defense policy,” said another minister. “What happened there was a shameful embarrassment. You can criticize the IDF, but they insist on the chief of staff.” “They want to chase after it,” he told Cannes.
Regarding the cause of the conflict, Time of Israel said, “Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and some extreme right-wingers are hoping that the situation will be reversed after the war with Hamas in the Gaza Strip.”
On this day, Secretary Gallant presented a four-point plan, including a plan to transfer relief and welfare responsibilities to UNRWA, a United Nations agency that Israel considers "hostile," which was delivered to the United States.
The Time of Israel said the plan “does not specify an agency that will oversee law and order on the Strip and will take time,” while senior security officials say “the transfer of responsibility to local administrations under the plan will not take into account existing infrastructure.” “It will have to happen gradually, not all at once,” he said.
The Minister of Defense’s ‘four pillars of civil governance’ for the post-war Gaza Strip are as follows.
First, Israel is responsible for coordinating and planning its oversight role in civil governance and for inspecting incoming goods.
Second, a multinational task force led by the United States in cooperation with European and moderate Arab countries would be responsible for running civil affairs and rebuilding the Strip's economy.
Third, Egypt, said to be the "main actor" in the plan, will work with Israel to take responsibility for the key civilian border crossing into the Gaza Strip.
Fourth, the existing Palestinian administrative system will be maintained under the premise that relevant officials are not affiliated with Hamas, and local governments currently responsible for distributing sewage, electricity, water, and humanitarian aid will continue to operate in cooperation with the multinational task force.
“The proposed regime is based on the assumption that Hamas no longer controls the Gaza Strip and does not pose a security threat to Israel,” Defense Minister Gallant told reporters before a cabinet meeting. “They will take responsibility for the Palestinian bodies on the condition that there will be no hostile actions or threats against the State of Israel,” he said.
“The bill focuses on civil governance of the Gaza Strip, with Israel retaining military control of its borders and the right to take all necessary military and security measures within the Strip,” Time of Israel said. “It does not include a role for the Palestinian Authority, nor does it provide for resettlement in the Gaza Strip.”
The paper continued, “The plan marks the first time a senior Israeli official has presented a detailed blueprint for the Strip after the war, but it does not yet represent official policy because there are clear differences of opinion on it within the coalition.” "Gallant's arguments for security control and freedom of action are shared by Prime Minister Netanyahu, but his plan, which calls for no Israeli civilian presence in the Gaza Strip and emphasizes control of civilians in Palestine, has angered hard-line coalition partners," he said.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who is leading the hard-right's attempt to rebuild Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip, said, "Galand's plan today is a rerun of 'The Day Before' on October 7th," and called for "voluntary migration of Gazans" as a solution to the Gaza Strip. “It should include full Israeli security control, including encouragement and settlement reconstruction,” he reiterated.