Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar is expected to rejoin the Likud Party led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week, according to an exclusive Sunday N12 report.
Sa’ar left Likud in 2020 to form his party, New Hope, and run for prime minister at the time. The report noted that the move comes after agreements were reached to shorten the adaptation period for Sa’ar and his party members, allowing them to rejoin Netanyahu’s party.
The report also said that the political deal was being finalized because Netanyahu requires Sa’ar’s support with the government’s conscription and budget laws.
The 2025 budget law being approved is particularly significant for Netanayhu, as it has the potential to guarantee his position until the end of his term, the report said. It also mentioned that Sa’ar joining Likud could incentivize him to comply with coalition decisions and would thereby be beneficial for Netanyahu.
When Sa’ar left Likud in 2020, he said that the “party had changed” and “became a tool serving the personal interests of its leader, including in his criminal trial.”
“I can no longer support the government under Netanyahu, and I can no longer be a member of Likud under his leadership. I say with regret, as someone who saw him as the right leader to lead the country and served in senior roles in his governments, Israel needs unity and stability no,w and Netanyahu cannot provide either one,” Sa’ar added at the time.
Sa’ar also said that he understood his candidacy could result in Netanyahu deciding the election should not happen yet, but he affirmed that regardless, he would be quitting the Knesset.
In November 2024, Netanayhu signed a signed coalition agreement that made Sa’ar Israel’s Foreign Minister instead of Israel Katz, who then assumed the role of Defense Minister instead of Yoav Gallant.Â
Eliav Breuer and Gil Hoffman contributed to this report.Â
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