Gideon Sa'ar to break away from National Unity, demands to join Israel's war cabinet

National Unity MK Gideon Sa’ar announced his intentions to break away from Benny Gantz's faction in a conference in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

"I respect my friends, the representatives of National Unity in the war cabinet, but unfortunately, they do not express in it the voice, positions, and emphases I would bring there. Therefore, on your behalf, I express here our demand to join the war cabinet and be part of the influence on policy."

"For a long time, my friends and I have not hidden our criticism of the campaign's navigation by the reduced cabinet," Sa'ar explained.

"There must be no connection between the established goals and the means taken to achieve them. We must not reduce the military pressure and slow down the progress in destroying the forces of Hamas and its rule. Hamas must not be allowed to take over humanitarian aid," he added.

Sa'ar also communicated his decision to appeal to the Knesset's house committee chair to reinstate the New Hope faction. 

In reaction to Sa'ar's declaration, Gantz wrote on X: "Thank you and good luck."

תודה ובהצלחה.

— בני גנץ - Benny Gantz (@gantzbe) March 12, 2024

Sa'ar's break from Likud in 2020

Sa'ar is a long-time Likud member who left because of differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Sa'ar repeatedly said before the previous election that he would not agree to sit under Netanyahu. However, the war against Hamas highlighted differences between his hawkish views on national security and Gantz's centrist approach, and the split was widely viewed as a matter of time. It is also the first major political move since Gantz joined the government on October 11.

Sa'ar broke from the Likud in December 2020, ahead of Israel's fourth election cycle of five elections between 2019-2022.

His party, New Hope, won six seats, and Sa'ar became Justice Minister. Ahead of the November 2022 election, Sa'ar joined forces with Gantz's centrist Blue and White party, together forming National Unity.

In a recent poll conducted by The Jerusalem Post, Sa'ar failed to pass the threshold with him at the head of a theoretical political party. 

Sources close to National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said, "If Netanyahu responds to Sa'ar's demand to join the war cabinet - Minister Ben-Gvir will also demand to join. We must change the concept of the war cabinet and bring about victory."