The Prime Minister of Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, appointed this Sunday (29) the opposition leader and president of the New Hope Party, Gideon Saar, as the new government minister without an assigned portfolio, but with a seat in the Security Cabinet.
“I am grateful that Gideon Saar responded to my request and agreed today to return to government. This decision contributes to unity among us and unity against our enemies,” the Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement.
The conservative Saar party was one of those that Netanyahu included, as he did with that of Benny Gantz (who later resigned due to differences), in the War Cabinet created shortly after the October 7th Hamas attacks to manage the offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Last March, Saar left that unity government when he was upset about not having the voting power in this body to veto decisions, as Netanyahu, Gantz and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had.
“Unfortunately, I had to resign in March, despite my support for the war objectives, at a time when I felt I could not have an impact as a member of the War Cabinet,” said Saar in a joint statement with Netanyahu.
In this text, the Israeli Prime Minister guarantees that they have now managed to put aside “the differences of the past” and praised Saar for his “broad vision and his ability to offer creative solutions to complicated problems”.
“In these fateful days, I am sure that he will make a significant contribution to the conduct of the war and to our country,” Netanyahu added. Saar, in turn, described the decision as “patriotic and correct”.
Saar was a direct rival to Netanyahu as a member of Likud, the party he aspired to lead. After leaving the War Cabinet, he toughened his speech against the Israeli leader, whom he openly criticized, among other reasons, for the corruption cases for which he is still responding in court.
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