Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar recently held an interview with “120 and One,” Ynet’s political podcast, during which he addressed various topics, including Gadi Eisenkot.
Until recently, Sa’ar and Eisenkot were partners in a party under Benny Gantz. Now, with Eisenkot leading the race to become the largest party in the election, he is being promoted as the future prime minister, a move that Sa’ar strongly opposes.
“I appreciate the years he contributed to the country and its security,” Sa’ar said. “I appreciate that he wants to do good for the State of Israel. But he doesn’t have the qualifications to be prime minister. He has no experience whatsoever, neither ministerial nor diplomatic.”
“He’s a man who has never managed a single government ministry in his life. He has never managed a political system. He has never managed interactions with world leaders. Making him prime minister is absurd. It’s a recipe for disaster. Can you name one achievement of his from the period when he served as a minister or as a member of Knesset?”
Ynet Podcaster: “Eisenkot feels that he set the tone in the war cabinet.”
Sa’ar retorted: “All the significant things happened after he left the cabinet. Both hostage deals, the elimination of Nasrallah, the attack on Hezbollah, Operation Rising Lion, and Operation Lion’s Roar. So what exactly did he set the tone on?
“For far simpler positions, we demand a minimum level of experience. Not every good person is qualified to serve as prime minister. Given Israel’s situation and the challenges it faces, we cannot afford to gamble.”
Ynet Podcaster: “Another person interested in the position is Yair Golan, who sees himself as a candidate for defense minister.”
Sa’ar responded fiercely: “I see him as the man who spread a blood libel against the State of Israel when he said that IDF soldiers kill children as a hobby. Did you see the headlines around the world? I had to deal with them. That statement was echoed everywhere. It caused no less damage than Ben Gvir’s statements.”
“A man who said that will be the defense minister? Can there be a minister who openly supports a Palestinian state? Israel is confronting international demands for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and we would bring someone who would weaken that effort into the government? The government cannot speak with two voices.”
Ynet Podcaster: “Is that your only problem with him?”
Sa’ar: “You want more? This is a man who claimed that he sees things taking place in Israel that took place in Nazi Germany.”
(YWN Israel Desk—Jerusalem)
