MK Gideon Sa’ar, the Chairman of the National Right, announced on Saturday evening that he would not accept the position of Defense Minister in the current government. “I decided to inform the Prime Minister that given the situation, I am giving up his offer to be Defense Minister. I don’t want those carrying the burden of managing the campaign at this time to be distracted by concerns about their position. It is not appropriate for there to be a ‘shelf’ Defense Minister alongside the serving Defense Minister, even for an unknown period,” he stated.
Sa’ar raised concerns that the indefinite nature of the current situation could lead to unchecked campaigns of incitement and delegitimization that would be difficult to counter. “As we saw in the past week – this undefined time was and will be used for an unrestrained campaign of incitement and delegitimization, which cannot be practically answered under the circumstances. I will continue to work for the promotion of a decisive approach, instead of attrition and erosion, on all fronts,” he remarked.
He also confirmed the discussions he had with Netanyahu, sharing that he initially agreed to take on this challenging role. “About a week ago, I agreed to take upon myself that heavy responsibility under the most difficult conditions. I did this based on a profound understanding of Israel’s national security challenges and its struggle and based on the clear views I presented in the security cabinet, the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, and to the public on how to conduct the war on various fronts and achieve its goals. I was and remain convinced of my ability to successfully fill the role of Defense Minister, as I have excelled in all my ministerial roles,” he explained.
Sa’ar asserted that the political and security strategy he has promoted over the last two decades has proven effective, contrasting his views with those of less successful elements. “The political and security path I presented to the public for over twenty years has proven accurate, in contrast to all the unsuccessful and obstructive elements. Alongside determination and wisdom in managing the campaign – today Israel needs an updated security concept. This includes building the IDF as an army ready for future challenges after years in which a significant part of its systems were atrophied or corrupted. In my opinion, the person who serves in this role should not be a man of the security establishment, tainted by collapsed concepts, systemic failures, and systemic commitments and accounts. A Defense Minister is not simply a super-Chief of Staff,” he elaborated.
He referenced the Winograd Committee’s findings regarding the Second Lebanon War, emphasizing the advantages of having a civilian Defense Minister. “The Winograd Committee’s conclusions on the Second Lebanon War determined that there are significant advantages to having a Defense Minister who is not from the security establishment. According to the committee, ‘He may strengthen the guiding and supervising authority and emphasize the fact that civilian oversight is not military management.’ A Defense Minister does not need to be a former military officer or security system member. He needs to have a deep knowledge of political and security issues and experience as a member of the government. As the Committee also noted, the issue of excessive dependence on military recommendations has been (and still is) a well-known problem in Israel for many years.”
Sa’ar emphasized his extensive experience and understanding in security matters, gained through years of involvement in various government roles. “I have such experience. I have such understanding. I gained them, among other things, in five security cabinets I participated in – three as a minister and two as Cabinet Secretary, who also serves as Secretary of the Security Cabinet. In additional years as a member of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and its subcommittee on intelligence and secret services, including currently. Even during my break from public life, I spent part of my time as a senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies. In fact, all my adult life, I have dealt with Israel’s national security issues and studied them,” he added.
He reflected on Israel’s notable Defense Ministers, highlighting that most were civilians with a strategic grasp of national security challenges. “Let’s remember: Who were our great Defense Ministers? Almost all were civilians with a strategic understanding and deep comprehension of national security challenges. Conversely, during the tenure of Defense Ministers from the military, the greatest security and strategic failures occurred. Civilian David Ben-Gurion, not any general, shaped Israel’s security concept during the years he held (in addition to the Prime Minister’s office) the defense portfolio. I am not sure if the nuclear reactor in Iraq would have been destroyed if a security establishment figure had served as Defense Minister on June 7, 1981. After the resignation of Ezer Weizman, who opposed the strike, in May 1980 – luckily for us, Prime Minister Menachem Begin also held the defense portfolio. By the way: even the former Chief of Staff Yigal Yadin, who was the Deputy Prime Minister in Begin’s first government, opposed the daring strike. So did the US administration,” Sa’ar emphasized.
He elaborated further, noting the appointment of civilian Moshe Arens as a successful Defense Minister during the First Lebanon War, despite his lack of military or ministerial experience. “Civilian Moshe Arens was appointed as Defense Minister in the midst of the First Lebanon War after the removal of Ariel Sharon following the Kahan Committee’s findings. Arens, when appointed, had no ministerial or cabinet experience. He also had no military experience. Before that, he served as Chairman of the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee and as Israel’s Ambassador to Washington. Arens was one of Israel’s best Defense Ministers. It’s a pity Israel did not act according to his strategic wisdom (even when he was not Defense Minister), for instance in the ‘Lavi’ project issue, which led to his resignation from the unity government. Civilian Shimon Peres was appointed as Defense Minister immediately after the trauma of the Yom Kippur War, and he was the one who dealt with the army’s rehabilitation. He was then a security hawk. Fortunately, his advice to launch the Entebbe raid instead of negotiating with the terrorists who hijacked the Air France plane was accepted.”
Sa’ar concluded by expressing his concern over the tragic military failures attributed to Defense Ministers from the IDF. “The greatest military and strategic disasters in the history of the State of Israel occurred during the tenure of Defense Ministers from the IDF: the October 7 massacre, the Yom Kippur War, the hasty unilateral withdrawals from Gaza and Lebanon, the Oslo Accords. Events that led to the greatest bloodshed in Israel’s history.”
He ended with a heartfelt prayer for the welfare of hostages and the healing of those affected by the conflict. “I pray for the return of all the hostages to their families, for the recovery of the physically and mentally wounded, and for the return of the displaced to their homes. I will always support Israel. I will never be among its weakeners. The Eternal One of Israel will not lie,” Sa’ar said.
{Matzav.com Israel}