Saar’s Storm

Is this the Big Bang of Israeli politics, or another anti-Bibi dud?

Gideon Saar, one of the Likud’s best-known faces and a loyalist who didn’t leave his party even when it cratered to 12 seats in 2006, shocked the political establishment last Tuesday with his decision to form a new center-right party called New Hope (“Tikvah Chadashah”). In one fell swoop, it threatened Netanyahu’s route to a right-wing majority, slashed Naftali Bennett’s chances of replacing Netanyahu, and made snap elections suddenly less appealing for Israel’s warring politicians.

Announcing his departure, Saar said, “I can no longer support Prime Minister Netanyahu or stay in the Likud under his leadership.” This was not a bid for a plum ministerial post, he later clarified: “My departure is a vote of no confidence in Netanyahu and in what he’s doing to the country and to the Likud. If Netanyahu forms the next government, I’ll sit in the opposition. Anyone who wants Netanyahu as prime minister shouldn’t vote for me.”

The political world is following Saar’s progress closely. An average of the polls taken since Saar announced his decision showed that his party will finish second and deny Netanyahu a majority. Alluding to this, Settlements Minister Tzachi Hanegebi told Mishpacha, “Nine people left the Likud to run independently over the past decade, and they’ve all disappeared. All their parties evaporated. If I were Gideon, I’d think twice.”