Benjamin Netanyahu dissolves Israeli war cabinet
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dissolved the influential war cabinet tasked with steering the war in Gaza, Israeli officials said Monday, a move that comes days after a key member of the body bolted the government over frustrations surrounding the Israeli leader’s handling of the war.
The move was widely expected following Benny Gantz’s departure earlier this month, which he said came after mounting frustrations over Netanyahu’s handling of the war. Gantz’s absence makes Netanyahu more dependent on his ultranationalist allies to govern, and the dissolution of the war cabinet underlines that shift is underway as Israel continues its eight-month-long war in Gaza.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the change with the media, said that going forward Netanyahu would hold smaller forums with some of his government members for sensitive issues surrounding the war. That includes his security cabinet, where far-right governing partners who oppose ceasefire deals and have voiced support for reoccupying Gaza, are members.
WATCH l Reasons to be skeptical of success for U.S.-backed plan: Richard Haass:
Former top U.S. State Department official Richard Haass shares the advice he gave Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their recent in-person meeting in Israel and why he is skeptical a ceasefire deal will become a reality. He also weighs in on the war in Ukraine — and why he thinks Russian President Vladimir Putin’s peace plan is actually an opening position to go off of.
The war cabinet was formed in the early days of the war, when Gantz, a centrist opposition party leader, joined the coalition in a show of unity following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel. He had demanded that a small decision-making body steer the war, in a bid to sideline far-right members of Netanyahu’s government.
The cabinet consisted of Netanyahu, Gantz, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer. Gantz’s partner, Gadi Eisenkot — a former chief of staff of the Israeli Defence Forces whose son was killed in fighting in Gaza in December — and Aryeh Deri, head of the religious party Shas, served as observers.
Large protests on the weekend
Gantz’s departure, while not posing a direct threat to Netanyahu’s rule, rocked Israeli politics at a sensitive time. The popular former military chief was seen as a statesman who boosted Israel’s credibility with its international partners at a time when Israel finds itself at its most isolated.
Netanyahu’s government is Israel’s most religious and right-wing ever. In Israel’s fractious parliamentary system, Netanyahu relies on a group of small parties to help keep his government afloat.
The move to scrap the war cabinet comes as Israel faces more pivotal decisions. Israel and Hamas are weighing the latest proposal for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas during its attack.
Israeli troops are still bogged down in the Gaza Strip, fighting in the southern city of Rafah and against pockets of Hamas resurgence elsewhere. And violence continues unabated between Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah militant group — with an envoy from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration in the region in a bid to avert a wider war on a second front.
Netanyahu has played a balancing act throughout the war between pressures from Israel’s top ally, the U.S., and the growing global opposition to the war and from his government partners, chief among them Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Both have threatened to topple the government should Israel move ahead on a ceasefire deal.
The latest proposal being considered is part of the Biden administration’s most concentrated push to help wind down the war. For now, progress on a deal appears to remain elusive.
Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered in Tel Aviv on Saturday in the latest of the now weekly protests by families and supporters of hostages still held by Hamas, demanding an agreement to bring them home. Many of those demonstrating have called for new elections.
LISTEN l Reporter Amir Tibon from Haaretz on ongoing anti-Netanyahu protests in Israel:
Front Burner26:01What’s behind massive anti-Netanyahu protests in Israel?
The militants led by Hamas, the Islamist group ruling Gaza, killed around 1,200 Israelis and took more than 250 people hostage on Oct .7, according to Israeli government tallies. It is believed about 120 people are unaccounted for, with dozens either repatriated during a fighting pause in late November, or rescued by the Israeli military. Several others have been confirmed dead.
More than 37,347 Palestinians have been killed and 85,372 have been injured in the Israeli military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Monday.
Published at Mon, 17 Jun 2024 11:21:12 +0000
U.S. surgeon general wants warning labels on social media platforms
The U.S. surgeon general has called on Congress to require warning labels on social media platforms similar to those now mandatory on cigarette boxes.
In a Monday opinion piece in the New York Times, Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people.
“It is time to require a surgeon general’s warning label on social media platforms, stating that social media is associated with significant mental health harms for adolescents. A surgeon general’s warning label, which requires congressional action, would regularly remind parents and adolescents that social media has not been proved safe,” Murthy said.
“Evidence from tobacco studies show that warning labels can increase awareness and change behaviour.”
Murthy said that the use of just a warning label wouldn’t make social media safe for young people, but would be a part of the steps needed.
Social media use is prevalent among young people, with up to 95 per cent of youth ages 13 to 17 saying that they use a social media platform, and more than a third saying that they use social media “almost constantly,” according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center.
Lack of evidence
Last year Murthy warned that there wasn’t enough evidence to show that social media is safe for children and teens. He said at the time that policymakers needed to address the harms of social media the same way they regulate things like car seats, baby formula, medication and other products children use.
To comply with U.S. federal regulation, social media companies already ban kids under 13 from signing up for their platforms — but children have been shown to easily get around the bans, both with and without their parents’ consent.
Other measures social platforms have taken to address concerns about children’s mental health can also be easily circumvented. For instance, TikTok introduced a default 60-minute time limit for users under 18. But once the limit is reached, minors can simply enter a passcode to keep watching.
Murthy believes the impact of social media on young people should be a more pressing concern.
“Why is it that we have failed to respond to the harms of social media when they are no less urgent or widespread than those posed by unsafe cars, planes or food? These harms are not a failure of willpower and parenting; they are the consequence of unleashing powerful technology without adequate safety measures, transparency or accountability,” he wrote.
In January the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, X and other social media companies went before the Senate judiciary committee to testify as parents worry that they’re not doing enough to protect young people. The executives touted existing safety tools on their platforms and the work they’ve done with non-profits and law enforcement to protect minors.
Murthy said Monday that Congress needs to implement legislation that will protect young people from online harassment, abuse and exploitation and from exposure to extreme violence and sexual content.
“The measures should prevent platforms from collecting sensitive data from children and should restrict the use of features like push notifications, autoplay and infinite scroll, which prey on developing brains and contribute to excessive use,” Murthy wrote.
The surgeon general is also recommending that companies be required to share all their data on health effects with independent scientists and the public, which they currently don’t do, and allow independent safety audits.
Murthy said schools and parents also need to participate in providing phone-free times, and that doctors, nurses and other clinicians should help guide families toward safer practices.
Published at Mon, 17 Jun 2024 13:22:16 +0000
