Gideon Sa'ar announces political comeback
The former minister of both the interior and education and one-time rising star in Likud makes expected announcement, marking his return to political life in the Likud party after more than 2 years; warns of dangers of renewed efforts to exert pressure on Israel to return to 1967 borders.
Sa'ar made the announcement that he would be rejoining political activities in the Likud party during a speech he delivered at a conference attended by political activists in Acre after announcing in 2014 that he intended to take a break from political life.
“Two-and-a-half years ago I took a time out. It was the best time, the nicest time, the quietest time. I came this evening to tell you that the time out has ended," he declared.
Sa’ar’s opening remark, “How I have missed this,” was greeted with a rapturous applause from the audience before he went on to speak about the upcoming festival of Passover and what it meant for the State of Israel and its people.
“My friends, Likud members, we are at the eve of Passover. The festival of Passover is what we say marks our freedom. What is real freedom? It is to be ourselves. We became an independent people when we left Egypt. On the eve of Passover we need to ask ourselves first and foremost, who are we? Who are we as a country? Who are we as a people? Who are we as the Likud movement?," he began.
The former Netanyahu loyalist warned his listeners of renewed pressure being exerted on Israel to accept a peace settlement based on the pre-1967 borders.
“We recognize the danger of returning to the same formula of going back to the 1967 borders with changes or otherwise, This was something that we believed and (still) believe, endangers the future of Israel, and the security of Israel," he said.
"In the face of this danger we need to strengthen our stance and the country and strengthen the Likud as a central national political movement in Israel," he continued.
Sa’ar declined to answer when asked at the end of his speech whether he intended to compete with Netanyahu for control over the party.
However, he had only positive remarks to say about the Israeli prime minister. “I want to praise Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who has stood up and guarded our interests. But the pressure and the problems are not behind us.”
He served under Netanyahu's leadership as education minister and interior minister and was a rising star in the Likud party prior to his abrupt departure from political life (although not from the Likud party itself). During his prominence as a political force, he was widely believed to represent a formidable threat to his former boss's leadership over the faction before announcing his "time-out."
"I wanted to enjoy some quiet privacy and freedom," said Sa'ar at the time of his retreat. "I feel this is the right thing for me and my loved ones."
Sa'ar's 2014 announcement came as a shock to many party members who anticipated that he was about to announce his intention to vie with Netanyahu to seize the levers of control of Likud.
Sa'ar's wife, Geula Sa'ar is also politically active, and was recently named as a news anchor at the new Israel Public Broadcasting Company (IPBC), before the company's news division was announced.
(Translated and edited by Fred Goldberg and Alexander J. Apfel)
