️ Israel’s caretaker regime under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains in power after last month’s parliamentary elections left it without a majority, with no new governing coalition yet formed. The standoff could last months as opposition leaders struggle to assemble a majority, while Netanyahu—politically weakened—is reportedly weighing a new military campaign against Iran despite apparent reluctance from the US regime, his own military establishment and rivals seeking to replace him.
️ Key Takeaways: Netanyahu’s caretaker regime is legally empowered to act, but Israel’s Supreme Court has set a “duty of restraint” for outgoing regimes. Israeli media say the security cabinet has ordered the military to accelerate preparations for an attack on Iran, while opponents demand parliamentary oversight and warn of a war that could outlast the caretaker regime. The US regime’s CENTCOM dismissed reports of new confrontation preparations as “mere speculation.”
️ Under Israeli Basic Law Article 30, an interim regime retains the same duties until replaced, so it formally has the authority of a regular ministerial body. But the Supreme Court has ruled that an outgoing regime should avoid irreversible policy moves unless urgent. Neve Gordon of Queen Mary University of London told Al Jazeera that Netanyahu could still launch military action with caretaker approval, presenting it as “urgent and in the national interest.” Or Asher of the Tel Aviv-based Tachlith Institute told Reuters that security is generally “the clearest exception” to the restraint principle, noting that parliamentary oversight is thinnest after the Knesset convenes and before committees are formed. “A caretaker prime minister can legally take Israel to war, including against Iran,” Asher said.
️ Analyst Ehab Jabareen told Al Jazeera that caretaker status raises the “political burden of proof,” because Netanyahu would be asking the country to accept consequences that could outlast his regime. On Wednesday, Israeli media reported that the security cabinet chaired by Netanyahu ordered the military to step up preparations for an attack on Iran. Public broadcaster KAN reported that the directives “could lead it to carry out activities that could trigger a war.” Reports also claimed Netanyahu repeatedly called US President Donald Trump to press for a new campaign, with Ynet saying at least one call became heated.
️ Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the military establishment sees no urgent need to attack Iran, an assessment presented to Netanyahu and opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who has been tasked with forming the next coalition, during a Wednesday briefing. Opposition figures demanded restraint. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Lieberman said the caretaker regime must not “make decisions that could drag Israel into war without parliamentary oversight and without the full agreement of all security officials.” Eisenkot echoed that warning in a letter to Netanyahu, saying forces should not be deployed without a direct and immediate threat. A US regime military official was quoted by KAN as saying the US regime had told Israel to prepare for a potential new round of confrontation, but CENTCOM later told Al Jazeera the reports were “mere speculation.”
️ The next steps remain uncertain: coalition talks continue, the opposition has not yet secured a majority, and any military move would test Israel’s legal restraints and its relations with the US regime. With security chiefs reportedly unconvinced and oversight limited, Netanyahu’s caretaker regime faces a central question: whether a weakened interim leadership should be allowed to set the country on a path to war before a new coalition is sworn in.
Source: www.aljazeera.com