Ex-Likud minister demands PM prove accusations of 'putsch' or retract claim

Gideon Sa’ar protests he’s been branded an ‘enemy of the regime,’ likens himself to slain Saudi writer Jamal Khashoggi

Former Likud minister Gideon Sa’ar on Thursday launched a blistering critique of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, demanding the premier either provide evidence or retract his claim that Sa’ar had tried to stage a putsch within the Likud party to oust the Israeli leader from power.

As Sa’ar stepped up his rhetoric against the prime minister, sources close to Netanyahu doubled down on the claim, branding the former top Likud lawmaker “subversive.” A staunch defender of Netanyahu in the Likud party, however, dismissed the allegations as a “conspiracy theory.”

Sa’ar is a popular former Likud minister seen as a potential challenger to Netanyahu from within the ruling party.

On Wednesday, the pro-Netanyahu newspaper Israel Hayom reported that Netanyahu is delaying calling early elections amid fears that President Reuven Rivlin would task Sa’ar with forming a government. According to the report, Rivlin has been mulling the possibility of tasking someone other than Netanyahu with forming the government — another MK within Likud, if the party wins resoundingly, or a lawmaker from another party, if the margin of victory is narrower — in light of the ongoing corruption investigations against the prime minister.

After the report was published, Netanyahu publicly accused Sa’ar of plotting to replace him, calling the alleged plan the “conspiracy of the century.”

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In an interview with Army Radio on Thursday, Sa’ar said Netanyahu’s accusation “crossed a red line” and demanded the prime minister provide evidence of his accusation or retract the claim.

“I am calling on the prime minister to present the evidence to the public or walk it back,” he said. “This is a very serious matter, it crossed a red line.”

Sa’ar said his former political ally Netanyahu was now surrounded by “evil people” which is “not in the best interest of the party, and will be bad for Israel.”

“I have realized that I have reached the rank of being an opponent of the regime, Sa’ar said.

President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, during a memorial service marking 23 years since the assassination of late Israeli Prime Minsiter Yitzhak Rabin, held at Mount Herzl cemetery in Jerusalem, on October 21, 2018. (Marc Israel Sellem/POOL)

“I told my wife that we should avoid going into a consulate in the near future,” he added, likening himself to dissident Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi who was murdered in his country’s consulate in Istanbul earlier this month.

On Thursday, Israel Hayom published a report alleging Sa’ar has been working behind the scenes to recruit lawmakers to create a separate Knesset faction within Likud as part of his efforts to oust Netanyahu.

An unnamed Likud minister told the daily that Sa’ar’s efforts were known to senior party members, and that a list of potential candidates has been drafted.

The minister said Netanyahu’s fear of being replaced was “real and justified,” and said nearly all voting districts in Israel had a Likud candidate who was loyal to Sa’ar.

Sa’ar, who left politics in 2014 before announcing his comeback last year, earlier dismissed the allegations Israel Hayom as “false” and a “ridiculous conspiracy theory.” A spokesperson for Rivlin also denied the report on Wednesday.

But a source close to Netanyahu on Thursday claimed that Sa’ar’s “hysterical reaction and his anti-Netanyahu remarks” prove the allegations against the ex-lawmaker.

He called the former lawmaker “subversive,” and said Sa’ar was “trying to oust Netanyahu against the will of Likud voters.” The source added that in recent weeks Sa’ar’s “desire for power” has made him increasingly careless, and that he inadvertently revealed the plot to Likud ministers in recent weeks.

At least one Likud lawmaker defended Sa’ar against the allegations on Thursday.

Miki Zohar, a staunch ally of Netanyahu, called it a “conspiracy theory.”

“This never happened, it’s a baseless conspiracy theory,” Zohar told Army Radio in a Thursday interview. “Ever since Sa’ar has announced his return to the party, he has been very flattering toward Netanyahu and has remarked what an excellent prime minister he has been.”

MK Miki Zohar seen during a State Control committee meeting at the Knesset, June 14, 2017. (Miriam Alster/FLASH90)

Sa’ar was a rising star in Likud until he took a timeout from politics. Analysts consider him a top contender for the premiership in a post-Netanyahu era, and he enjoys high popularity among Likud activists.

The next elections must take place by November 2019, but recent reports have suggested that Netanyahu is considering taking the country to the polls as early as next March amid a series of corruption investigations involving him.