Israeli estimates proved accurate, as Gideon Sa'ar, the minister in the Israeli emergency government and head of the "Tikva Hadashah" (New Hope) party, submitted his resignation from the government, which he joined at the beginning of the current war. Sa'ar, who split from the "Hamachneh Hamemlakhti" (Official Camp) bloc led by Benny Gantz about two weeks ago, is demanding to be included in the war cabinet, while the Likud party, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, offered him a proposal that would allow him to be invited to war cabinet meetings occasionally, similar to how other senior ministers are invited. However, Sa'ar is currently rejecting the offer, and if the issue remains unresolved, he may announce his resignation from the government.
In this context, the Hebrew website "Walla" reported today that the current proposal was presented to Sa'ar because any other solution could complicate the situation with other government partners, particularly with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, both of whom are also demanding to be included in the war cabinet. Sa'ar believes that the center of gravity in the current war has shifted from the Security-Political Cabinet (the "cabinet") to the "war cabinet," and he insists on joining it to influence the course of the war.
According to the newspaper "Haaretz," estimates within the Likud and New Hope parties suggest that the chances of resolving Sa'ar's demand are slim and that he will leave the government "unless a last-minute surprise occurs," as stated by an unnamed senior official in the Likud party. The newspaper clarified that Netanyahu does not oppose Sa'ar joining the war cabinet, but the request by Ben Gvir to equalize his conditions and include him in this framework has become a major dilemma for Netanyahu.
An official from the New Hope party noted that Netanyahu's discussions are not with Sa'ar or his party, but rather with Ben Gvir: "They are not talking to us because there is nothing to discuss. The problem is with Ben Gvir, not with Sa'ar."
"Haaretz" pointed out that if Netanyahu fails to convince Ben Gvir to withdraw his request, this will lead to a similar request from Smotrich to join the "war cabinet," which would mean the disintegration of the Israeli emergency government and the exit of Minister Benny Gantz from the government. It is noteworthy that Gantz also opposed Sa'ar's inclusion, his former partner, and the agreement for Sa'ar's entrance into the government indicates that the only reserved place in the "war cabinet" is for the opposition leader Yair Lapid if he decides to join the government.
Sa'ar believes that Gantz's request is not objective and not based on the state's interest, claiming that it is only natural to demand an influential position in the "war cabinet."
### Who is Sa'ar?
Gideon Sa'ar, 58 years old, was born in Tel Aviv to a pediatrician father from a family originally from Bukhara in Uzbekistan, and was named Gideon Moshe Sirchinsky. He is an Israeli politician belonging to the right-wing Likud party, having served as a Knesset member and held the interior and education ministries in Netanyahu's governments. He resigned from the position of Minister of the Interior in 2014 to focus on his family but returned to political life in 2017 and was elected fourth in the Likud candidates' list in 2019.
He joined the Hatikva movement when he was 15 years old and became an active youth leader as the movement later transformed into the Likud party. He holds bachelor's degrees in political science and law from Tel Aviv University. Sa'ar is widely viewed as ideologically to the right of Israel's longest-serving Prime Minister, but with a unifying approach unlike the divisive style of Netanyahu.
After working as a lawyer, journalist, and assistant to the state's legal advisor between 1997-1998, he served as the cabinet secretary in the last few months of Netanyahu's first government in 1999. He was elected to the Knesset in 2003 and excelled in the Likud primary elections in 2009 and 2013, topping the candidates' list each time while Netanyahu was not competing against them.
Sa'ar is married to Israeli television news anchor Geula Evi, and they have two young children. They also have children from previous marriages. His family has Bukhari roots.
