Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering bringing the vote on a potential ceasefire deal with Hezbollah in Lebanon before the country's security cabinet rather than the full cabinet, according to a source familiar with the matter. The prime minister is currently assessing the legality of this decision.
Israeli media reports suggest that this move is legally feasible as a ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah is viewed as a security issue rather than a political one. Typically, matters of this nature are decided by the full cabinet. However, in this instance, Netanyahu is leaning towards presenting the vote to the smaller forum of the security cabinet.
The rationale behind this approach is that the proposed ceasefire is a temporary security arrangement, distinct from political agreements like permanent peace deals, border agreements, or normalization efforts.
The security cabinet in Israel comprises 11 ministers with voting rights, including far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. In contrast, involving the full cabinet would expand the decision-making body to 33 ministers.
Earlier statements from Netanyahu's spokesperson indicated that the Israeli cabinet is likely to endorse the ceasefire deal later today.
