Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed his former rival Gideon Saar as a member of his security cabinet. The committee is responsible, among other things, for important decisions in the Gaza war and the conflict with Hezbollah. The chairman of the “New Hope” party will become a minister without portfolio in the cabinet.
Netanyahu announced this during an appearance with Saar. “It’s no secret that we have had differences of opinion in the past, but since October 7th we have put the grudges of the past behind us,” said Netanyahu.
Saar was long considered Netanyahu’s internal party rival in the ruling Likud party. In 2019, he ran against Netanyahu in elections for party leadership, but was defeated. The following year, Saar left the Likud party and founded his own party. Saar was justice minister in the governments of Netanyahu’s opponents Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.
Saar is said to have ambitions to become defense minister in the cabinet. Things have been rift between current Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Netanyahu for some time.
Under the impression of the Hamas massacre on October 7, 2023 and the subsequent Gaza war, Saar initially joined Netanyahu’s right-wing religious government as part of an alliance. However, he resigned in March because Netanyahu had not made him an active member of the war cabinet.
