Poll finds just 14% of people believe Sa’ar would be suited for the job of defense minister

Just four percent of Israelis believe New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar would be more suited for the job of defense minister than anyone else, a poll published by Channel 12 finds after reports earlier this week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was eyeing him as a replacement for Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Asked who they believe is most suited for the job, 38% of respondents said they believed Gallant to be, 12% said Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter was most suited while Sa’ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Economy Minister Nir Barkat each received 4% of the vote. Another 21% of people said they didn’t know, and 18% said someone else was more suited.

Additionally, when asked whether Sa’ar was suited for the role, just 14% of respondents believe he is, while 69% responded in the negative. Inside Netanyahu’s voter base, 26% of people believe he is the right man for the job, while 50% say that he is not.

Regarding the reports that Netanyahu is planning to fire Gallant and replace him with Sa’ar, 63% of respondents said he was doing so for politically motivated reasons, while 24% believed it would be for the good of the country.

Seventy-two percent of respondents also said that if Sa’ar chooses to enter the government it will be for his personal benefit, compared to 12% who believe he would be doing so for the benefit of the country.