Sa’ar to re-enter Israel’s Netanyahu-led government

Sa’ar’s entry into the coalition as minister-without-portfolio was unanimously approved by government ministers,

By JNS

New Hope Party leader Gideon Sa’ar will re-enter the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the two announced in a joint press statement on Sunday night.

“When war broke out, I immediately set about establishing a broad and stable government. I greatly appreciated it when Benny Gantz and Gideon Sa’ar joined the government and I regretted it when they left,” Netanyahu said of the wartime coalition formed on Oct. 11, 2023, in the aftermath of Hamas’s massacre in southern Israel.

“For this reason, I appreciate it that Gideon Sa’ar acceded to my request and agreed to return to the government today,” the premier added. “This move contributes to unity among us, and unity against our enemies.”

Sa’ar, who will join as a member of the Security Cabinet, noted his up-and-down ties with the premier, marked by periods in which the two maintained “a close and very good working relationship,” but also years of “political and personal rift.”

“Believe me, beloved citizens of Israel, since the morning of Saturday, October 7, this is meaningless to me,” said Sa’ar in reference to the Hamas invasion.

“In light of the current situation, and after consideration, I concluded that there is no point in me continuing to sit in the opposition, where the positions of most of its members on the subject of the war are different and even far removed from mine,” said Sa’ar.

Sa’ar’s entry into the coalition as minister-without-portfolio was unanimously approved by government ministers, the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said following the official announcement.

Once a member of Netanyahu’s Likud Party, Sa’ar launched New Hope in 2020, ahead of Israel’s fourth of five election rounds between 2019 and 2022. He then served as justice minister in the government led by Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett.

In the November 2022 general election, the shared Gantz and Sa’ar slate received 432,482 votes, resulting in 12 Knesset seats.

Until two weeks ago, Sa’ar appeared set to replace Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, whom Netanyahu reportedly wanted to fire due to their differences on how to prosecute the war against Hamas and Hezbollah.

Sa’ar announced his decision to quit the previous unity government on March 25, two weeks after breaking up his political alliance with Gantz’s National Unity Party.

At the time, Sa’ar blamed the government for what he described as a failure to accomplish its war goals and said the military campaign against Hamas had been managed “contrary to the national interest.”

When Gantz left the unity government, Netanyahu made clear that his door would “remain open to any Zionist party willing to shoulder the burden and help attain victory over our enemies and ensure the safety of our citizens.”