Netanyahu ally warns prodigal son Sa’ar not to cross the PM

Coalition chairman David Bitan on Tuesday warned former Likud minister Gideon Sa’ar, who’s shaping up as a potential challenger to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, against seeking to unseat the premier, following Sa’ar’s announcement of his return to politics.

On Monday, Sa’ar announced his comeback at the Likud party branch in the northern city of Acre, two and a half years after he resigned from the Knesset, ostensibly in order to spend more time with his family.

Prior to his political hiatus, Sa’ar was seen as a potential rival to Netanyahu for the Likud leadership, and his temporary departure was widely believed to be due to strained relations with the prime minister. In announcing his comeback, however, Sa’ar made no mention of an intended leadership challenge

In an interview with Israel Radio, Bitan, one of Netanyahu’s most powerful allies, warned Sa’ar not to seek the leadership of the party, saying it would not be well-received in Likud and that he “would be making a big mistake.”

“If Gideon Sa’ar tries to compete against Netanyahu, he’ll be in a tough spot. In Likud we don’t go against the leader,” he said. “The voters don’t like this. The party members don’t like this. The [Likud] Central Committee members don’t like this.”

Bitan said that while Sa’ar’s return was welcome, “he will be greeted with open arms [only] if he doesn’t make mistakes,” namely seeking to unseat Netanyahu.

Seeming to anticipate Bitan’s warnings, Sa’ar not only refrained from criticizing Netanyahu during his comeback announcement on Monday — he even offered praise for the prime minister on his handling of the Obama administration during nearly a decade of often-turbulent ties with Washington.

“We went through eight not-so-simple years with a [US] government that didn’t see things eye-to-eye with the way we saw them. I want to commend Prime Minister Netanyahu, who stood up under the pressure during that period in an aggressive manner and protected out interests during those years,” he said.

Sa’ar, who has a strong following in Likud, said the reason for his comeback was to strengthen the party.

“I am returning to public and political life for the sake of the Likud, for the sake of the people of Israel and for the sake of the state. My goal is to strengthen Likud in the face of its challenges and to ensure that Likud is the party of the future,” he said.

Another Netanyahu ally, Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, offered a different take from Bitan on Sa’ar’s return, saying it would help strengthen Netanyahu’s position as party leader.

“This is great news that should please anyone interested in seeing Likud strengthened and united around the leadership of the prime minister,” he told Army Radio Tuesday morning.

“All of us — and I am convinced Gideon Sa’ar as well — will be partners to the success of the prime minister and the success of Likud,” he added.

Sa’ar’s comeback announcement comes at a time when Netanyahu is beset by political troubles from within his party and elsewhere, days after he threatened to call new elections despite the objection of his Likud colleagues, and with two police investigations shrouding his political future in doubt.

New elections are not scheduled until November 2019, with the Likud primaries set for half a year earlier. But recent tension within the coalition has prompted rumors that elections, and primaries, will be held earlier than planned.

One long-simmering coalition crisis, over the new public broadcasting corporation, was resolved late last week with a deal that would see its news division separated from the corporation, its workers laid off, and most of the openings filled with former Israel Broadcasting Authority employees.

Among those expected to be fired as part of the deal is Geula Even, Sa’ar’s wife, who signed on as an anchor.

In February, Sa’ar confirmed he would return to Likud, but would not commit to a timeframe.

Despite his absence from active political life for over two years, Israeli opinion polls frequently include Sa’ar in their surveys on the candidates best suited for the premiership. In a January poll by Channel 2, which evaluated the most likely successor to Netanyahu should he resign over corruption allegations, Sa’ar tied with Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett at 10 percent, trailing behind Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid, who received the most support at 17%.

Sa’ar is regarded as more hawkish than Netanyahu in his attitude toward the Palestinians, and is considered to be emblematic of the party’s younger conservative bloc.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.