Saar Skips Likud Primary “Show”

Former minister Gideon Saar quashed speculation that he might run for head of the Likud in the coming primary, and hinting that it won’t be a fair contest in any case.

When asked on Thursday if he would run in the February 3 polling, Saar replied: “I do not act in puppet shows.”

“I wish luck to Netanyahu in the contest, and to the rest of the actors in the show,” Saar added.

Saar, a popular Likud politician often talked about as a potential successor to Netanyahu, left politics over a year ago, and appears to be waiting for the right time to make a comeback.

Fresh discussion of Saar’s return were triggered by a critical remark he made in public recently about the government’s handling of Palestinian terrorism:

“When will the all-talk government start seriously taking care of those who enter [the country] illegally, and effectively close the [Palestinian] Authority’s territory

In the meantime, there are no challengers to Netanyahu in sight. Even when Yerushalayim mayor Nir Barkat announced he was joining Likud on Tuesday, he made clear that he would not be running against the party chairman. He committed himself to finishing his term as mayor – almost three more years – before running for anything else.