Gideon Sa’ar announces he won’t replace Gallant as Israel's defense minister

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Gideon Sa’ar announced in a statement on Saturday night that he won’t replace Yoav Gallant as Israel’s defense minister.

Noting the recent developments in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Sa’ar stated that such a transition of defense ministers would unnecessarily complicate the war effort at a time when government stability ought to be maintained.

Sa’ar said that he “will always strengthen Israel,” and will “never be among those who weaken it.”

While Sa’ar’s statement made clear that he was in negotiations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the job of defense minister “about a week ago,” it also indicated that he has changed course due to the escalation in the north, Times of Israel reported.

Prior to Sa’ar’s statement, news had broken regarding the possibility of him replacing Gallant. This led to critics arguing that Sa’ar is unfit for the role, given his lack of experience in national security.

Despite reversing his decision to take on the role of defense minister, Sa’ar defended his fitness for the role, arguing that several successful Israeli defense ministers in the past similarly lacked a background in Israel’s national security establishment.

Among those Sa’ar pointed to were David Ben-Gurion, Menachem Begin and Shimon Peres.

Sa’ar has previously served as a member of the Knesset, minister of education, minister of interior, deputy prime minister and minister of justice.

Sa’ar was previously part of the emergency unity government, as part of the New Hope party, along with National Unity leader Benny Gantz. However, Sa’ar left the government in March, after being denied a position in the War Cabinet.

The Times of Israel noted that Sa’ar’s statement on Saturday night “does not rule out bringing his four-member New Hope party into the coalition.”