Likud’s Danon dismisses Sa’ar as serious rival to Netanyahu, calls to push into Rafah
Lawmaker and former UN ambassador says he supports inclusion in war cabinet of ‘anyone who calls for a more aggressive approach’, brands caution over entering Rafah a mistake
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Longtime Likud lawmaker Danny Danon dismissed former colleague Gideon Sa’ar as a serious competitor to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, although he said he would not object to Sa’ar’s inclusion in the war cabinet.
“Sa’ar was a member of the Likud. He left the Likud and now has his own, small, party. So I don’t think he’s competing with the Likud today,” said MK Danon, a former senior politician who was placed 15th on the party’s list in the last elections after finishing a stint as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations.
Last week, Sa’ar announced the breakup of his National Unity alliance with Benny Gantz, taking his three fellow New Hope-The United Right MKs with him and essentially stripping the party of its right-wing flank. Sa’ar also demanded a seat on the war cabinet.
While it is the prime minister’s decision to appoint anyone to the key, small decision-making body, “I would support anyone who calls for a more aggressive approach,” Danon said, arguing that delays in the IDF pushing into the southern Gaza city of Rafah “are not helpful.”
Israel argues that it is crucial to move into Rafah, where Hamas has its last major stronghold. However, the move has faced wall-to-wall international objections, including from the United States, concerned that the city is sheltering more than 1 million displaced Palestinians.
Being so cautious “was a mistake,” Danon continued, stating that Israel should have withstood pressure from the US and other allies. “We should have continued with full power.”
Asked about Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman’s recent statement that if the right-wing camp wanted to stay in power, the only way was to find new leadership, Danon — who challenged Netanyahu for the Likud chair in 2007 and 2014 — replied that “we don’t really appreciate those who give us advice on how to conduct our affairs in the party.”
“I don’t think they really care about the future of the party. And I think today we should care less about the polls and more about what’s happening in Gaza. If Netanyahu will lead the nation to full victory, I think that’s what we expect him to do and that’s the only way for Israel to recover,” he said.
“I think Netanyahu is aware of that… He knows that he has to deliver.”
Netanyahu’s perceived credibility and popularity — already battered by nearly a year of fighting over his government’s controversial judicial overhaul — suffered heavily in the aftermath of October 7, when Hamas terrorists rampaged through southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.
Netanyahu has notably avoided taking responsibility for the October 7 onslaught, unlike the defense minister and many top IDF officers.
In November, a survey from Bar Ilan University and polling company iPanel found that less than 4 percent of the Jewish Israeli public believed the prime minister was a reliable source of information on the war in Gaza.
The figure rose slightly to 6.63% among right-wing voters.
A Channel 12 poll aired last Tuesday evening found that a potential coalition led by Benny Gantz would secure 69 of the Knesset’s 120 seats if elections were held today, compared to a bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which would win 46 seats.
When asked who they would like to see as prime minister, more respondents said Gantz over Netanyahu, by a margin of 41% to 29%.
Among the criticisms of Netanyahu has been his failure to confront his ultra-Orthodox coalition partners over the issue of the draft, especially given the army’s current manpower shortage.
Ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, men of military age have been able to avoid drafting to the IDF for decades by enrolling for study in yeshivas and obtaining repeated one-year service deferrals until they reach the age of military exemption at 26.
Asked about the issue, Danon replied that “there is a general understanding in the Likud party that something must be done after October 7 and we cannot continue with the idea of business as usual.”
“I’m also happy to hear similar voices from colleagues in Shas — Minister Arbel, Minister Margi, Minister Buso saying similar things — and I think the challenge will be to find some kind of a compromise,” he said.
“We don’t think we will be able to force Haredim to join the military — but to build tracks that will allow them to do national service or volunteer service. I think it’s more feasible and I think now is the right time to do that.”
Dismissing efforts by opposition politicians Avigdor Liberman and Yair Lapid to pass universal enlistment legislation through the Knesset without coalition support, Danon said that after a successful compromise “both sides should not be happy about everything.”
“But we need a compromise, and I think that once we reach that compromise, we will see the number going up.”
