Netanyahu and Liberman
Netanyahu and LibermanHadas Parush/Flash 90

The Cabinet has approved the proposal of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked to amend the War Declaration Law, Hadashot TV reported on Wednesday.

A law that was approved by the Knesset last month allows the prime minister and the defense minister to decide on their own, in special circumstances, on a declaration of war. In light of the criticism of the move, it was decided to return the authority to declare war to the Cabinet.

Under the new law, the Cabinet can authorize a war, even without government approval.

The proposal states that "the proposal seeks to determine that taking military action that is likely to lead to war requires the approval of the government. It is also proposed to authorize the government to delegate its authority to authorize such action, or to start a war, to a ministerial committee that will be determined by law in general, or in a specific case."

"The exercise of the said authority by a ministerial committee in place of the government will be conditional on the prime minister finding that reasons exist related to the security of the State or its foreign relations, including for reasons of confidentiality, which require that the decision be made by a ministerial committee," the law reads.