From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, August 13, 2025
Likud meets to readmit Sa’ar to party amid pushback from those who remember his harsh words against Netanyahu
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. 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"
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrives at the Tel Aviv Expo ahead of a vote by his ruling Likud party’s Central Committee on a merger with the coalition’s New Hope party in a show of support for New Hope chairman and former rival Gideon Sa’ar.
Sa’ar’s return to the Likud has prompted some internal pushback, including by Defense Minister Israel Katz, who reportedly views him as a potential rival within the party.
According to the Ynet news site, MK Tally Gotliv railed against Sa’ar, stating that he does not deserve a reserved spot on the party’s electoral list after bolting it five years ago and later saying “terrible things about the prime minister.”
Video of her remarks showed attendees responding with boos and jeers. Entering the hall, Sa’ar was met with hugs by attendees.
New Hope joined the coalition last September and in March, Sa’ar signed an agreement to dissolve the faction into Likud. Those decisions followed consistent polls showing his party would fail to clear the electoral threshold if it ran solo in the next election.
Sa’ar left Likud in 2020 to found New Hope, after unsuccessfully challenging Netanyahu for Likud’s leadership. Upon leaving Likud that year, Sa’ar said that the party had fostered “a cult of personality” around Netanyahu and become a “tool for the personal interests of the person in charge, including matters relating to his criminal trial.”
מהומה במרכז הליכוד בעת הדיון על חזרת סער: טלי גוטליב יוצאת ב-260 קמ"ש נגד גדעון סער בזמן שהוא נכנס למצודת זאב pic.twitter.com/Lb8tw9Jt4P
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