Sa’ar the “Rebel” and Netanyahu: From Bitter Foe to “Savior”

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Since his split from the Likud party, Gideon Sa’ar’s relationship with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been marked by rivalry and tension, but it is currently improving.

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Once seen as the man aiming to oust Netanyahu after leaving Likud in 2020, Sa’ar is now unexpectedly accused of throwing a lifeline to the latter in his most challenging days in office. The two are in talks for Sa’ar to take the position of Defense Minister, replacing Yoav Galant, whom the Prime Minister threatened to dismiss.

Gideon Sa’ar, 57, born in Tel Aviv, served as an intelligence non-commissioned officer in the Israeli army’s Golani Brigade. He studied political science at Tel Aviv University and later pursued law studies at the same university.

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In May 2013, Sa’ar married Israeli news anchor Geula Even, with whom he has two children, David and Shira.

According to information gathered by “Al-Ain News” from Hebrew media outlets and the Knesset website, Sa’ar began his political career as an assistant to the Attorney General from 1995 to 1997. In 1999, he was appointed cabinet secretary, a position he held again from 2001 to 2002 after Ariel Sharon, the then-leader of Likud, won the elections and became Prime Minister.

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A Rapid Rise

In the 2003 elections, Sa’ar won a seat in the Knesset on the Likud list and was appointed head of the party’s parliamentary group as well as the head of the ruling coalition’s parliamentary bloc.

Sa’ar opposed Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and tried to pass a bill requiring a referendum on the matter.

He was re-elected to the Knesset on the Likud list in 2006 and also became Deputy Speaker of Parliament.

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In December 2008, he won the Likud primaries, securing the second position on the party’s list after leader Benjamin Netanyahu in the general elections. He was subsequently appointed Minister of Education on March 31, 2009.

In 2012, he once again garnered the most votes in the Likud primaries and returned to the Knesset.

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A Brief Pause

In 2014, Sa’ar announced he would step down before the elections amid rumors of sexual harassment allegations.

The following year, he took a break from politics and left the Knesset on November 5, 2015.

On April 3, 2017, Sa’ar announced his return to politics and his intention to run in the Likud primaries, where he was considered a potential candidate for the party leadership and Prime Minister.

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The Conflict Phase

In 2019, the rivalry began when Netanyahu raised the possibility of calling early elections for the Likud leadership. Sa’ar briefly responded on Twitter: “I’m ready.”

On November 24, 2019, Sa’ar called on the Likud central committee to set a date for the leadership elections within two weeks.

After the dissolution of the Knesset and the scheduling of elections for March 2, 2020, the leadership elections were set for December 26, 2019. As expected, Netanyahu won a landslide victory after a campaign filled with accusations and criticisms exchanged with Sa’ar.

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In December 2020, Sa’ar announced his departure from Likud to form his own party, “New Hope.”

In the 2021 Israeli elections, “New Hope” aimed to form a government coalition and oust Netanyahu. His party won six seats in these elections, and Sa’ar became Justice Minister after the vote.

On July 10, 2022, Sa’ar announced that “New Hope” would form an electoral alliance with Benny Gantz’s “Blue and White” party under the name “National Unity,” which secured 12 Knesset seats.

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He joined the emergency government after the Gaza war in October 2022 as a minister without portfolio but parted ways with the National Unity alliance on March 12, 2023.

Shortly thereafter, he renamed his party “The National Right,” which holds 4 Knesset seats.

Recently, Netanyahu explored the possibility of bringing Sa’ar into the government as Defense Minister, signaling a possible return of the “rebel” politician to Likud.

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His Political Positions

Sa’ar has repeatedly voiced his opposition to the two-state solution. He stated, “It would be wrong to go back to the idea of creating a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria (West Bank) as a solution to the conflict.”

He also supported annexing the West Bank and asserted in 2020 that “there will be no other independent state between the Jordan and the sea.”

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As a teenager, Sa’ar had joined the extremist nationalist Tehiya movement to protest the evacuation of Israeli settlements in the Sinai Peninsula in 1982, in accordance with the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.

On October 14, 2023, in an interview with Israeli Channel 12, Sa’ar declared that the Gaza Strip “had to be reduced to ashes” in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

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The reconciliation between Sa’ar and Netanyahu belies significant differences. In August 2022, Sa’ar stated, “I will not sit in a government with Netanyahu because he embodies an approach that endangers the future of the State of Israel. My principles do not allow me to support a leader who puts his personal interests above everything.”

In December 2022, Sa’ar, branded as a “rebel,” claimed that any government led by Netanyahu “would survive through political deals and not for the public good,” emphasizing he would not participate in it.

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In May 2023, he argued that “Netanyahu‘s return to power was a disaster for the country.”