Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly prefers to have the vote on a potential ceasefire agreement with Lebanon taken by the country’s security cabinet rather than the full cabinet, a source familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday. The source added that Netanyahu is reviewing the legality of this approach.
Israeli media, citing officials, reported that such a move is legally permissible, as a ceasefire with Hezbollah is classified as a security matter rather than a political issue. Typically, decisions of this nature are addressed by the full cabinet. However, Netanyahu is said to favor the smaller security cabinet for the vote, arguing that the ceasefire is a temporary security arrangement rather than a political agreement, such as a lasting peace treaty, border agreement, or normalization deal.
Israel's security cabinet consists of 11 ministers with voting rights, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. In contrast, a full cabinet vote would involve 33 ministers.
Earlier, Netanyahu’s spokesperson indicated that the Israeli cabinet is expected to approve the ceasefire deal later on Tuesday.
Comments