Opposition faction leader pans law making it easier for PM to declare war

Zionist Union chair Gabbay, speaking at his weekly faction meeting, also slams a law passed last week giving the prime minister the authority to declare war or order a major military operation after consulting only the defense minister, and not via a full cabinet vote as the law had previously required.

“Do you understand how absurd that is? For any small change to the normal laws we need the majority of the Knesset. But for this? To go to war? Just Liberman and Netanyahu,” he says.

According to the new law, in “extreme circumstances,” military operations can be authorized by the prime minister and defense minister alone and will not need a vote by cabinet ministers.

Gabbay calls on coalition partners to oppose the new law and support an amendment being presented by the Zionist Union this week that would cancel it.

“What do the coalition partners have to say about this? About the next war, the lives of our children? Nothing. This time, your silence is dangerous. During the next war, you won’t be able to say, ‘We didn’t know,'” he charges.

“The people of Israel will not forget. You have an opportunity to fix it.”

— Raoul Wootliff