Does Israel have a new war cabinet by another name?

Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to dissolve his war cabinet could foreshadow a tilt even further to the right and an end to the pretence of national unity at the top of Israel’s government. Yet there are two reasons why this may not be true. First, officials said yesterday that in place of the cabinet a small group of senior advisors would help Prime Minister Netanyahu with day-to-day decisions – and that group will not include his two most right-wing ministers, Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir. Second, they had been pushing for places in the war cabinet, and by dissolving it Netanyahu ducks the need to explain to them and their supporters why he can’t oblige. Those in the small group are said to include Ron Dermer, an ex-Israeli ambassador to Washington, and Aryeh Devi, leader of an ultra-Orthodox Sephardic party who’s been convicted of tax fraud.