Ministers say Sa’ar joining coalition boosts national unity crucial for winning war
Some opposition members blast move that is expected to bolster Netanyahu’s standing, while New Hope chair’s former partner Benny Gantz remains mum
Government ministers warmly welcomed the surprise Sunday announcement that New Hope chair Gideon Sa’ar’s party would be joining their coalition, hailing the move as a boost to national unity that will help Israel to win its ongoing war against Iranian proxies in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sa’ar’s addition to the government was seen as imminent earlier this month when reports swirled about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu aiming to have him replace Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. But the maneuver seemed to have been taken off the table after Israel began a series of major strikes against Hezbollah, and Sa’ar even announced last week that he was abandoning his pursuit of the defense portfolio.
But on Sunday night Sa’ar and Netanyahu held a press conference — publicized only minutes in advance — during which they announced New Hope’s entry into the government and Sa’ar’s appointment as a minister in the security cabinet without a specific ministerial portfolio.
The move is seen as one that bolsters Sa’ar, whose nosedive in the polls took a further hit after the plan to replace Gallant didn’t pan out. It also strengthens Netanyahu’s coalition with four more seats, bringing it to 68 in total. Accordingly, threats from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir to topple the government if his more maximalist stances aren’t taken into account have now been blunted, since the coalition would be able to survive without Otzma Yehudit’s six seats.
Nonetheless, Ben Gvir was among the ministers who welcomed the Sunday development, calling it a “correct and responsible move” and adding that Sa’ar’s “vast experience is an added value that will aid in our continued victory and in achieving the [war’s] goals.”
Likud Transportation Minister Miri Regev also praised Sa’ar, saying that his addition to the government “fulfills the people’s desire for unity, for a unified front in the face of our enemies, and for the strengthening of the coalition.”
Finance Minister and Religious Zionism chair Bezalel Smotrich echoed those points, tweeting, “The people of Israel currently need unity on the path to total victory. I congratulate MK Gideon Sa’ar and the New Hope faction for joining the coalition.”
In the opposition, the news was taken much less warmly.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid called it “one of those moments where politics makes you want to vomit.”
He went on to claim that Sa’ar joining the government “won’t strengthen the coalition or extend its lifespan” but will do the opposite.
“Ben Gvir won’t be able to handle losing his veto and will drive the government crazy daily… There’s no difference between 64 [coalition members] and 68. Their problem isn’t numbers. It’s reality,” Lapid wrote.
He added that being in the opposition is difficult, “and it’s even more difficult to see the worst government in our history destroying the best country. It’s difficult to see Sa’ar giving up on his self-respect and ability to be a reasonable person.”
Lapid concluded by saying that the opposition doesn’t have the privilege to give up and that he would “get up tomorrow morning a little sad and very angry but will continue to fight until this government falls and this gang of opportunists disappears from our lives.”
The Democrats chair Yair Golan criticized the move by reminding Sa’ar that three months ago, he said that Netanyahu needed to resign.
Sa’ar even held a meeting with Lapid and Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman in May to coordinate a bloc that would work together to bring down the government.
“Gideon is the clearest proof that our people are better than their leaders. There are many Israeli heroes who wanted to fight under fire for our nation, and there are those who run away from the fight because they fear for their political future,” Golan said.
Notably, National Unity chairman Benny Gantz and the party’s members did not immediately comment on the news. Gantz and Sa’ar united their parties in the last election and joined the government together shortly after the war broke out in Gaza on October 7. However, Sa’ar announced that he was breaking away from Gantz’s party and left the government in March, two months before National Unity also withdrew from the coalition.
The announcement that Sa’ar was re-joining the coalition was made in a joint press conference with Netanyahu, who thanked the New Hope chairman for responding positively to his offer to return and praised his “broad vision and his ability to offer creative solutions to complicated problems.”
For his part, Sa’ar said that his decision to reenter the government came during “difficult and challenging days,” explaining it was “important to strengthen Israel, its government, and its unity and cohesion,” and declaring that his move was “the patriotic and right thing to do now.”
