Keep your eye on Israeli Security Cabinet member Gideon Sa’ar in 2024 — here’s why

JERUSALEM, ISRAEL — One of the most interesting meetings our Evangelical Christian Delegation had last week was with Knesset Member Gideon Sa’ar. 

Indeed, the entire group walked away realizing this is an up-and-coming Israeli leader we need to keep a close eye on.

Here’s why. 

AN EXPERIENCED PLAYER IN A CRITICAL POSITION

Low-key, thoughtful, and highly experienced, Sa’ar has previously served as Israel’s Education Minister and Justice Minister. 

Currently, he serves as a Minister in Israel’s Security Cabinet, making him a player in critical decisions regarding the prosecution of the war and what the post-Hamas era will look like in Gaza.

He’s also a senior member with Benny Gantz – a former IDF chief of staff and former Defense Minister – of the National Unity party, which is soaring in the polls. 

If elections were held today, recent polls indicate that National Unity would win between 37 and 40 seats, and could put together a governing coalition of between 70 and 74 seats.

In such a scenario, Gantz would likely become prime minister, and Sa’ar would likely emerge one of the most influential in the country, possibly foreign minister. 

Elections (hopefully) won’t happen until the war is over and won.

That could be many months off, and the political landscape could change significantly before then. 

FROM BIBI TO BENNY — A UNIQUE VANTAGE POINT

Over a working breakfast at the King David Hotel, we found it interesting to spend nearly 90 minutes with someone who once had been so close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “Bibi” Netanyahu, and is now working side by side with Gantz.

I first met Sa’ar 16 or 17 years ago – in 2006 or 2007, we can’t remember exactly which – when Sa’ar was the second most popular and powerful official in the Likud party faction in the Knesset under Netanyahu. 

After a serious falling out with Bibi, however, Sa’ar eventually left Likud, established his own “New Hope” party, and eventually created an alliance with Gantz to create the “National Unity” party along with another former IDF chief of staff, Gadi Eisenkot.

At the time, the troika served together in the Opposition, strongly opposed to Netanyahu’s leadership for a variety of reasons and on a number of policy positions, including how best to achieve a fair and balanced reform of the Israeli Supreme Court and legal system. 

But after the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas, the National Unity party accepted Netanyahu’s invitation to form an emergency unity government, setting aside every other disagreement for the time being in order to win the war and re-establish true and lasting security on all of Israel’s borders. 

All this has given Sa’ar a great deal of experience and insights, and a unique perspective on both the geopolitical and political challenges facing the country right now. 

WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR ISRAEL IN 2024?

We asked Sa’ar about a wide range of issues, from how Israel plans to get all of the hostages back, to the Hezbollah threat in Lebanon, to the state of U.S.-Israeli relations, to the role of Iran and Russia in the latest conflict, and how Evangelical Christians can do more to stand with Israel in this bitter and painful time.

We couldn’t help but also ask him about Israeli media reports that the Likud party is trying to woo him to leave Gantz and come back home. 

The meeting was off-the-record.

And Sa’ar, of course, wasn’t at liberty to answer all of our questions.

But I can report that we all walked away feeling that we had a much better and more nuanced understanding of the complicated and tense moment that Israelis are in, and a better sense, too, of what additional challenges 2024 might hold. 

I can’t say that I have a clearer sense of Sa’ar’s future.

He strikes me as 100% focused on helping Israel defeat our radical Islamist enemies decisively, not on politics, and for that I’m grateful.

The last thing Israel needs right now is another election. 

Our very existence is at stake and God have mercy if we let ourselves get distracted. 

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT GIDEON SA’AR’S VIEWS

NOTE: I recently interviewed Sa’ar on the record for THE ROSENBERG REPORT. 

To better understand his views on the current war, please read this article and watch this video:

• Russia turning against Israel, growing dangerously close with Iran, says Israeli Minister Gideon Sa’ar (AIN) 

• Why A Russia-Iran Alliance Spells Dangerous Future For Israel (TBN)