ALBAWABA - In order to strengthen his alliance in the 120-seat legislature, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu added four Knesset members from the opposition party headed by Gideon Saar.
After protracted talks, Netanyahu said in a video message that Saar and his group had formally joined his administration, bringing the coalition's total representation to 68 lawmakers.
Saar will serve in the political and security cabinets but will not have a ministerial position. With the statement, "These shifts in the political landscape could help form new alliances in the region," Netanyahu emphasized the significance of this new alliance. We are living in terrible times since the country is engaged in an expensive and protracted conflict."
According to Israeli media, Saar's appointment gives Netanyahu more protection from internal threats, especially from coalition allies on the extreme right who have attempted to topple the government in the past.
Formerly a well-known member of Netanyahu's Likud party, Gideon Saar unsuccessfully challenged Netanyahu for the Likud leadership in 2019. Later, in 2020, he started his own political party and was a major player in the coalition that deposed Netanyahu in 2021 and kept him in office for a year. It was recently reported—and now verified—that Saar was in talks with Netanyahu to become a member of his administration.
