Likud senior Gideon Saar has been working nonstop after dropping a political bombshell the night of Nov. 23 by calling for a quick Likud primary. Since then, he has been ramping up his challenge to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu one hour to the next, lashing out incessantly and reminding him that he has failed to form a government, twice. In a radio interview on Nov. 26, Saar said that if he were in Netanyahu’s position, he would resign. With that, the tempest Saar stirred up in the Likud quickly escalated into all-out war. The party hadn’t experienced a challenge to its leadership in years, and suddenly, all the pent-up passions and energy exploded.
All of this is set against the backdrop of a political and constitutional crisis of historic proportions in Israel, given Netanyahu’s insistence on hunkering down as prime minister despite Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit’s decision to indict him for bribery, coupled with a rush toward a third round of elections. Saar added another element to the political tailspin, coming out against Netanyahu in ways that haven’t been seen in the Likud in ages, all the while stressing that only he himself can save the party from crashing. In doing so, Saar shattered the public image of unity that had worked to Netanyahu’s advantage when he was suspected of and being investigated for criminal activity.
