Jerusalem:
A former minister and rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined the government on Sunday, strengthening the current coalition as Israel fights militant groups on multiple fronts.
Gideon Saar, who has held several ministerial posts in past governments, joined the cabinet again as a minister without portfolio.
“I appreciate the fact that Gideon Saar has answered my request and agreed today to return to the government,” Netanyahu said in a televised statement.
“This move contributes to unity within us and unity against our enemies.”
Saar’s return gives Netanyahu an additional four seats in Israel’s parliament, bringing his total to 68 out of 120.
This makes Netanyahu less vulnerable to a defection from far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who has repeatedly threatened to bring down the government if it agrees to a truce deal with Hamas in the Gaza Strip or Hezbollah in Lebanon.
But Saar, considered more right-wing than Netanyahu, has hawkish tendencies and has spoken out in favour of the annexation of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Just five years ago Saar openly challenged Netanyahu for leadership of Israel’s right-wing Likud party.
Although he took part in the emergency government formed in the wake of Hamas’s October 7 attack that triggered the war in Gaza, he joined the opposition in March after failing to get a seat in the war cabinet.
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