Israeli lawmaker Gideon Saar aims to oust PM Benjamin Netanyahu in Likud primary
Gideon Saar has been a senior figure in the Likud for a decade and held multiple ministries. He has called for an even more hawkish policy towards the Palestinians than Benjamin Netanyahu .
In power as premier for a decade, Netanyahu early next year faces a third general election within 12 months and has been indicted in a multi-pronged corruption probe.Saar, more hawkish than Netanyahu? The campaign's most dramatic moment came on Wednesday evening when Netanyahu was rushed off stage while campaigning in Ashkelon in southern Israel near Gaza, after what the army called a "projectile" was fired from the Palestinian enclave.Stephan Miller, a pollster who has worked on multiple Israeli campaigns, said whatever the result "Netanyahu can only lose."
Last month, Netanyahu was indicted for fraud, bribery, and breach of trust in three corruption cases, allegations he strongly denies.A series of polls in recent weeks have indicated a Saar-led Likud might win fewer seats in a third election than under Netanyahu, but the overall rightwing bloc might be larger – potentially yielding a viable governing coalition.
Ofer Zalzberg, an Israeli political analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said it would have been unthinkable a few years ago for senior party officials not to back Netanyahu publicly.
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