Sa'ar ready to cooperate with Likud if Netanyahu defeated

• Author: GIL HOFFMAN
• Published date: 13 October 2021
• Publication title: Jerusalem Post, The: Web Edition Articles (Israel)

Edelstein said for the first time on TV on Monday that he will run for the Likud leadership and urged for a primary to be held soon.

Gideon Sa'ar at the 2021 Jerusalem Post Conference.

"If Likud will bring another candidate, it will be natural to cooperate, not only for New Hope but for other parties," he said.

"Everything's open. If they elect another leader, everything will be open. Yuli is right that keeping Netanyahu will keep Likud in the opposition."

A Channel 12 poll Tuesday night found that Likud voters prefer Netanyahu over Edelstein, 86% to 6%, and that the Likud under Edelstein's leadership would win 14 fewer mandates than under Netanyahu if Knesset elections were held now.

Most Likud figures declined to comment about Edelstein's run, but MK Shlomo Karhi accused him of undermining Netanyahu and warned that he was on the way to join Sa'ar in New Hope.

Sa'ar spoke at the conference about his two new bills that will come up to be voted on by the current government in the near future, which could prevent Netanyahu from running for prime minister again.

These are not personal against Netanyahu, Sa'ar said, but are targeted at ending the growing, problematic idea that a prime minister can serve even if indicted, he said.

Sa'ar said that "mayors cannot continue with an indictment; ministers cannot continue with an indictment, so there is a crucial question whether this is the new...