Gideon Sa'ar is often described as one of Netanyahu's main rivals. With him in the government, so far without a clear ministerial assignment, Benjamin Netanyahu's position becomes stronger in the fragmented government, where his coalition governs with a very small majority in parliament.
Gideon Sa'ar is the founder and leader of the right-wing party New Hope, which he formed after losing the party leadership struggle in Likud against Netanyahu.
Now, he gets one of the few influential positions in the government's war cabinet – where important decisions about Israel's warfare are made.
Previous speculations about Sa'ar joining the government have raised concerns among peace advocates, as he is reported to be skeptical about ceasefire talks.
"I have concluded that it is pointless to continue sitting in opposition, especially since most of its members have views on the war that differ and are far from mine. This is a time when I am committed to contributing to decision-making," says Gideon Sa'ar, according to the Israeli newspaper Haaretz.
Netanyahu says, according to the same newspaper, that it is no secret that the two politicians have had disagreements in the past, but that they have put aside previous grievances since October 7, when the war in Gaza broke out after Hamas' terrorist attacks in Israel.
