Netanyahu cancels war cabinet meeting on post-war Gaza planning amid pressure from Smotrich

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has canceled a war cabinet meeting that was supposed to be held tonight to discuss Israel’s plan for who will govern Gaza after the war.

Netanyahu has refused to hold any such meetings until now, angering the Biden administration, which argues that failure to plan for who will govern Gaza after the war will lead to the IDF being bogged down in the enclave indefinitely.

The Israeli premier’s stance has been influenced by his far-right coalition partners who have similarly rejected any discussion about PA rule in Gaza.

This leaves few if any other options, but Netanyahu has appeared committed to keeping his coalition intact and has accordingly sought to delay “day-after” discussions for nearly three months.

Shortly after tonight’s meeting was scheduled, Bezalel Smotrich’s far-right Religious Zionism party announced it was holding its own faction meeting to protest its exclusion from the discussion.

Hebrew media reports that Netanyahu has agreed to discuss the matter in a Tuesday meeting of the larger security cabinet.