Who is Gideon Sa’ar, Israel’s new foreign minister?

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday appointed Gideon Sa’ar as the new foreign minister after announcing his predecessor would take over the defence portfolio, his office said.

“I spoke today with Minister Gideon Sa’ar and offered him and his faction to join the coalition and take on the position of Foreign Minister,” Netanyahu said, according to a statement from his office in which he also announced he had fired defence minister Yoav Gallant.

A few week ago, shocking news emerged that Gideo Sa’ar could’ve actually replaced as defence minister, but that position has went to Netanyahu-loyalist Israel Katz, Sa’ar’s predecessor as foreign minister.

Sa’ar was once heralded as a new force in Israel right-wing politics and one of the biggest threats to Netanyahu’s decades-long grip on power. The formation of his right-wing New Hope party, however, failed to live up to expectations, and now it seems to have been brought into Netanyahu’s zone of influence. 

Who is Gideon Sa’ar?

Sa’ar has been one of Netanyahu’s foremost right-wing opponents, whose recent foray into politics follows a successful career in law.

Born to Ashkenazi Jewish parents in Tel Aviv, Sa’ar served in Israeli military as an intelligence officer in the Golani Brigade, before studying law at university.

He worked with the Attorney General playing an influential role in the implementation of several key laws, along with advisory roles in Netanyahu’s government.

Sa’ar entered competitive politics in 2003, when he was elected as an MK with Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud and rapidly ascended the ranks of the party, serving as minister of education from 2009 to 2013.

Shortly after being appointed minister of interior, Sa’ar dramatically quit the Knesset in 2014 but this was to prove to be a mere hiatus, and he returned to active Likud politics in 2017, before being appointed by Netanyahu as justice minister.

He left Likud in 2020 forming the New Hope splinter party, promising to end Netanyahu’s “cult of personality” and provide an alternative for right-wing Israelis.

What is his relationship with Netanyahu?

As soon as Sa’ar returned to Israeli politics, he was primed as a possible challenger to scandal-ridden Netanyahu as head of the Likud Party and had an acrimonious relationship with the prime minister.

His New Hope party was never able to replicate the successes many on the right of Israeli politics hoped for, and through stunning alliances and brinkmanship, Netanyahu was to remain in power.

Netanyahu’s alliance with the far-right has been rocky, with the ultra-Orthodox recruitment bill being one issue causing divisions within his Likud Party.

The prime minister cited this as one of the reasons for the firing of Gallant, who supported the drafting of ultra-Orthodox Jews into the army – an issue that threatens to bring down the government due to far-right, ultra-Orthodox parties strongly opposing such changes to this arrangement, which has seen Haredi religious students avoid military service.

Sa’ar’s re-entry into government has effectively isolated him from the Israeli opposition and broadened Netanyahu’s appeal among the secular right.

How might it affect Gaza and Lebanon?

Sa’ar  is widely considered a hawk on security and foreign affairs, in many ways to the right of Netanyahu who, despite his ruthless streak,  has at times displayed some pragmatism. 

Sa’ar strongly opposed Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan for Gaza, and has blamed the withdrawal of Israeli settlers and troops there for the 7 October attacks.

He has indicated that a continued troop presence in Gaza is essential for Israel’s security and this would fit with Netanyahu’s demand for maintaining control of the Philadelphi Corridor, an outcome opposed by some even within Likud.

The appointment of Sa’ar as defence minister comes as Israel continues its ground invasion of southern Lebanon, following a massive intensification of an aerial campaign against the country, which has killed thousands of Lebanese and displaced millions more.

The promotion of a hardliner such as Sa’ar will likely strengthen Netanyahu’s ‘tough man’ image and appeal to hard-right secular nationalists.