Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan announces he will back Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against MK Gideon Sa’ar in this Thursday’s Likud party leadership race.
“As a member of the security cabinet, I am very familiar with the tremendous challenges we face… and therefore, after taking into account all the considerations, I’ve arrived at the conclusion Prime Minister Netanyahu is the most fitting person to continue to lead Likud,” Erdan says in a video statement.
While backing Netanyahu, Erdan welcomes Sa’ar’s challenge, saying it “maintains the democracy” in the party.
“Unlike other voices that have been heard, I’m convinced it strengthens Likud,” Erdan says of Sa’ar’s candidacy. “Our true competition is on March 2, against the left, and we must come to it united for a Likud victory.”
Along with Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein, Erdan had been one of the last remaining Likud lawmakers to refrain from weighing in on the race.
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From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, December 24, 2019
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