Cabinet Holds Emergency Session, Netanyahu to Address Nation

Prime Minister Netanyahu will address the nation Monday night following an emergency session of the Security Cabinet to discuss recent developments in Syria.

Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the premier will present “dramatic” information about Iran’s nuclear program.

As the Knesset prepared to begin its summer session, the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee began drafting legislation to grant the Security Cabinet the authority to declare war without approval from the full government, as the law currently requires. One draft version suggested granting the prime and defense ministers the authority to declare war in the event that the cabinet members could not be summoned.

However, several committee members registered strong objections to the measure and the legislation was temporary shelved. A revised proposal is scheduled to be table to the Security Cabinet later Monday

Yesh Atid Party Chairman Yair Lapid said the party would rescind a no-confidence motion, scheduled for the Knesset’s opening session at 4:00, saying national security took precedence over faction politics.

“We’ll save our criticism of the government for another day,” Lapid said, and called on other opposition factions to follow suit.