Gideon Saar, Israel’s newly appointed foreign minister, has served in a string of government posts, switching political alliances while maintaining hard-line opposition to Palestinian statehood.
Over the years, he has been both a supporter and foe of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, at one point starting his own party in a challenge to the Israeli leader.
Mr. Saar realigned with the prime minister only five weeks ago, just months after he quit the government in March, when Mr. Netanyahu refused to put him on the war cabinet overseeing Israel’s strategy against Hamas in Gaza.
“This is a time in which it’s my obligation to try to contribute to decision making,” he said when he rejoined the government in September.
Opposition leaders see Mr. Saar’s shifts as evidence of his enduring pursuit for political relevance.
“Political considerations are the leading considerations for him, that’s his way,” said Benny Gantz, a former defense minister who quit the government’s war cabinet last summer and who had created a political coalition with Mr. Saar’s party, New Hope, in 2022 to oppose Mr. Netanyahu. “It is impossible to predict what he will do politically.”
Mr. Saar — who had previously served as Israel’s education, interior and justice ministers — did not respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. He is expected to start at the Foreign Ministry as soon as Thursday, his spokesman, Michael Maoz, said.
Under Mr. Saar, the Foreign Ministry will receive what the Israeli government described on Wednesday as an “unprecedented” budget increase of $145 million to improve the country’s global image with foreign media, social networks and on American college campuses.
The Israeli government said Mr. Saar would have a “permanent” role in security decisions, including policy toward Iran and its nuclear program, which Mr. Netanyahu and other senior officials have long warned threatens Israel.
Experts said Mr. Saar generally agrees with Mr. Netanyahu’s hard-line approach to Iran, the war against Hamas in Gaza and the conflict against Hezbollah.
“He is even more to the right of Netanyahu,” said Yossi Mekelberg, a senior consultant on Middle East Policy at Chatham House, a London-based research group.
He said Mr. Saar is not expected to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, has not supported independent statehood for Palestinians or negotiations with the Palestinian Authority, and has called for Israeli annexation of some of the West Bank.
Still, Mr. Saar has shown he is unafraid to buck Mr. Netanyahu on high-priority issues. He opposed efforts to weaken Israel’s judiciary, which he once reportedly described as the government’s “regime coup.” He was later given some veto authority over legislation to overhaul the judiciary.
“Maybe he still is the only, or the most significant, keeper of honesty, justice, and rule of law — I give him credit for that,” said Dan Meridor, a former Israeli deputy prime minister and intelligence minister. Mr. Meridor worked with Mr. Saar when he was Israel’s education minister from 2009 to 2013.
But when it comes to foreign policy, experts agreed that Mr. Saar will likely take a backseat role to Mr. Netanyahu, who, as prime minister, will make the major decisions for Israel.
“Bibi will still be the main person who decides foreign policy,” Mr. Meridor said. “Foreign policy is very important here, and this is why I think you will still have the decision in his hands.”
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