Gideon Sa’ar, chair of the New Hope party, announced his resignation from the government on Monday, citing his lack of influence on the government’s prosecution of the conflict in Gaza. Sa’ar had joined the emergency government following October 7, but had not been appointed to the war cabinet.
“I believed and I still believe – that [our goals] are ambitious but achievable,” Sa’ar said. “Our soldiers have fought and are fighting bravely, but under Netanyahu, military progress has slowed down, prolonging the campaign.”
Sa’ar stated that he could not bear responsibility if he had no practical possibility to influence policy. “We did not come to the government to warm chairs. We came to the government – which we opposed – to help the people of Israel in a difficult time.”
Sa’ar’s resignation comes less than two weeks after he announced the breakup of the National Unity faction, dissolving his alliance with Benny Gantz’s Blue and White party. At the time, Sa’ar demanded that he be appointed to the war cabinet, but was met with opposition from Gantz and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
The war cabinet currently has three voting members: Netanyahu, Gantz, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Blue and White’s Gadi Eisenkot is an observer, as are Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer and Shas party leader Aryeh Deri.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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One Response
Gideon, I was impressed by your comment a couple of weeks ago as it relates to standing with PM Netanyahu in time of war, but I now see I was wrong! It was not about the welfare of the people of our dear country, it was, rather, only about Sahar. The good of the country and it safety is secondary to what’s good for Gideon Sa’ar.