Gideon Sa'ar rejoins Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government

Israeli leader of the right-wing New Hope Party, Gideon Sa’ar, rejoined Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government yesterday, just a week after he rejected an offer to replace Israeli Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant.

According to The Times of Israel, the announcement was made during a joint press conference between Sa’ar and Netanyahu, followed by cabinet approval of the move.

“I appreciate the fact that Gideon Sa’ar has answered my request and agreed to join the government. This move contributes to the unity among us, and to our unity in the face of our enemies,” the Prime Minister said.

“In discussions in the security cabinet [when he was previously in the government], I was very impressed by Gideon Sa’ar’s broad vision, and his ability to bring creative solutions to complex problems. More than once, we saw eye-to-eye on what steps needed to be taken,” he added.

Gideon Sa’ar has not yet assumed the role of Defense Minister, Yoav Gallant, although Israeli media reports indicate that both he and Prime Minister Netanyahu are open to this possibility in the future.

For now, Sa’ar has joined the government as a minister without portfolio and will participate in the security cabinet, which handles critical decisions regarding the ongoing war against Gaza. Moreover, while Sa’ar and his New Hope party will maintain flexibility in their stance on contentious issues, such as the judicial overhaul, they will not have veto power over these matters, reported The Times of Israel.

Sa’ar claimed his decision to join the government was a “patriotic” one. He said, “At this time, it is crucial to strengthen Israel, its government and the unity and cohesion within it. That is why I accepted Prime Minister Netanyahu’s request to join the government and contribute my experience and abilities to the decision-making process. This is the patriotic and right thing to do now.”

“I am joining the government without a formal coalition agreement but with a clear worldview and a strong sense of patriotic duty to serve our nation.”

Gideon Sa’ar expressed strong support for the government’s recent actions, stating, “In the past few days, Netanyahu’s government has shown commendable decisiveness. The IDF has acted flawlessly.”

It was revealed earlier this month that Netanyahu has been in secret talks with Sa’ar, about potentially replacing Gallant. The move could further destabilise Netanyahu’s coalition, with ultra-Orthodox parties threatening to topple the government if a controversial bill exempting ultra-Orthodox Yeshiva students from military service is not passed, a move that Gallant opposes.

One US official told Axios that the idea of firing Gallant is “crazy” given his experience, particularly amid the ongoing war in Gaza and the threat of a larger conflict in Lebanon.

The Israeli army has pounded Lebanon against what it called Hezbollah targets since 23 September, killing at least 816 people and injuring over 2,500, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

Hezbollah and Israel have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the start of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed nearly 41,600 people, mostly women and children, following a cross-border attack by Hamas last 7 October.

The international community has warned that Israeli attacks in Lebanon could escalate the ongoing Gaza conflict into a wider regional war.

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