FM Sa’ar returns to Likud party, says he joined gov’t after Oct 7 to help save Israel from destruction

After five years, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar rejoined the Likud party on Wednesday, having founded the New Hope party and spent several years in an alliance with Benny Gantz’ National Unity party, in the opposition.

The Likud Central Committee voted to approve the merger with the New Hope party and to add Sa’ar, as well as Knesset Member Mishel Buskila, Minister Ze’ev Elkin and Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel, to its ranks.

According to an official, Sa’ar will also be allowed to choose a candidate for a reserved spot on the Likud’s electoral list.

Ynet News reported that the likely candidate is Elkin, a veteran lawmaker who served in several ministerial roles, and left the Likud party with Sa'ar in 2020.

Following the vote, Sa’ar thanked God for “enabling us to reach this moment” as part of the traditional Shehechiyanu prayer (a Jewish blessing recited to thank God for enabling a person to reach a special occasion) and declared it is “good to return home.”

The vote was met with pushback from several party members who recalled Sa’ar’s controversial departure and his years in the opposition.

Sa’ar had been a rising star within the party until he challenged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for leadership, lost, and left. In his exit, Sa’ar accused Likud of having created “a cult of personality” around Netanyahu and becoming a “tool for the personal interests of the person in charge, including matters relating to his criminal trial.”

This was brought up by firebrand Knesset Member Tally Gotliv during Wednesday’s meeting, as she argued that he didn’t deserve a reserved spot on the electoral list after saying “terrible things about the prime minister.”

However, Israeli media outlets reported that Gotliv was met with jeers, while Sa’ar was warmly welcomed by attendees.

In addition, Defense Minister Israel Katz reportedly pushed back against Sa’ar’s return, seeing him as a potential rival for power when Netanyahu retires.

In his address to the Central Committee, Sa’ar explained his thought process leading up to his return.

After the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, he said, opposition leaders had to decide “whether they would exploit this terrible and historic event and the difficult war that followed it for political gain, or whether they would mobilize to strengthen the State of Israel at a fateful time.”

He said he then began to understand Netanyahu’s strategy to “dismantle the Iranian axis” after several long conversations, adding that one day, “we will be able to proudly tell our grandchildren and great-grandchildren about the decisions that saved the State of Israel from the danger of destruction.”

Sa’ar thanked Netanyahu for trusting him and allowing his return, noting that “anyone can look back, but usually what can be changed is the future.”