2024-10-01 09:10:24
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed his former rival Gideon Saar as a member of his cabinet, BTA reported.
The move expands Netanyahu’s ruling coalition and strengthens him politically, as he will now be less dependent on his coalition partners, Reuters notes.
It would also likely reduce the influence of ultranationalists like Bezalel Smotrich, according to the AP.
Under their agreement, Netanyahu said Saar would be given a seat in the security cabinet, the body that oversees the management of the ongoing war.
Saar had hoped to replace Defense Minister Yoav Galant, another Netanyahu rival. But the deal to fill the post of defense minister fell through a few weeks ago after the intensification of hostilities with Hezbollah, with the popular minister keeping his post, AP recalls.
Saar is a veteran of the Israeli political scene who has had a strained relationship with the prime minister. He was once a rising star in Netanyahu’s Likud party, but left in anger four years ago after accusing its leader of turning it into a “personality cult” while facing corruption charges.
Since then, however, Saar has struggled as the leader of a small conservative party that does not enjoy much support among the general public. He and Netanyahu share a hard-line ideology regarding Israel’s Arab opponents.
In recent months, Saar has said that Israel must continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed. He also called for tougher action against Hezbollah’s backer, Iran. Like Netanyahu, he is staunchly opposed to the creation of a Palestinian state.
In a joint statement, the two said they had put aside their differences for the good of the nation.
Netanyahu’s decision appears to have been dictated in part by domestic politics. In the coming weeks, he faces a number of key political battles – including the contentious issue of the draft of ultra-Orthodox men in the army, passing the budget and testifying in his long-running corruption trial. Saar is expected to help Netanyahu on many of these issues, AP notes.