The conservative Gideon Saar, 56, joined the Government of Israel as minister without portfolio after the terrorist attacks of October 7 that left 1,400 dead and a country in shock.
Raised in the Likud, the great conservative party, Saar was Minister of Education and Justice, and dared to challenge Beniamin Netanyahu in a primary for the Likud leadership in 2019, without success. Shortly after, he left Likud to form a conservative party – Israel's national sport – New Hope. He was deputy prime minister between June 2021 and December 2022 in the fragile anti-Netanyahu coalition government. His party has 12 deputies in the Knesset, the second of the opposition.
You know him well, is Netanyahu the right leader for Israel at one of the most critical moments in its history?
On the morning of October 7 we put aside any internal political issues. This is not the time for domestic battles. Right now, the only crucial thing is to win a war against the Nazis, with Nazi ideology and Nazi practices. I want to remember that in 2005 we completely withdrew from Gaza, we withdrew every last settlement in that area. And, since then, we had only defended ourselves from the threats and the rockets that were launched at us. And on October 7, the barbarians invaded us.
Do you think Hamas could have organized terrorist attacks of that magnitude without Iran's green light?
When Iran's agents attack us from Yemen, Syria and Lebanon, it is clear that they do so under the direction of Iran. Iran has not been directly involved, those representatives are already doing it for it. Hamas is financed and trained by Iran. Its direct involvement remains to be seen.
What can Iran gain from this war unleashed by Hamas?
Open a front against Israel, a very old vision because they have always wanted to eliminate the State of Israel. It is we who prevent them from having nuclear weapons. They also aspired to break our society and the opposite is happening.
What is the difference between children killed or kidnapped by Hamas and those who die in Gaza from bombs dropped by the Israeli army?
Our military never, ever aims to kill children or civilians, unlike what happened on October 7. We are carrying out this war in accordance with international laws, we observe them to the maximum. But you, as a Spaniard, know what happened in the Civil War...Hamas uses the Palestinians as human shields, they don't care about their lives.
Do you consider that the United States is supporting you 100% in these first days of the land war?
I want to remember that Israel is a sovereign State and carries out war as it sees fit. That said, we are very grateful for the political and military support that the United States provides us, which is so important to us.
Are you worried about an apparent resurgence of anti-Semitism in Europe?
Naturally, but we know that anti-Semitism is a wild animal, which rears its head from time to time, even after the Holocaust it did not disappear. It will never end, and that is why we urge all European governments to do everything possible to prevent these demonstrations.
Is a renewal of leadership in both Israel and the Palestinian National Authority and Gaza essential after the war?
I have already told you that this is not the time for political discussions, and I am not going to enter into speculation on this issue. Now we only care about defeating the barbarians.
Do they care about losing the support of Western governments and their public opinions in the course of a war that claims the lives of so many Palestinian civilians?
We don't stop caring, of course. It is normal for friends to criticize us, but we can assure them that we will conduct this war in accordance with the norms of international law. We are sensitive to the concerns, but we also would like and do not see the Red Cross being able to care for and visit Israeli children who are kidnapped in Gaza.
Unlike other European presidents, Pedro Sánchez has not visited Israel after October 7. Does it reduce Spain's diplomatic capacity in hypothetical mediations?
For a month now I have not been able to follow Spanish politics well. Do you already have a government?
Is falling...
Spain is a country that I love very much and I have relatives in Barcelona. I felt bad that President Sánchez skipped Israel when he visited the region (in the framework of the peace conference in Cairo on Saturday, October 21, after which he met with Mahmud Abas, president of the Palestinian National Authority). I think that a show of solidarity could have been a visit to Israel.
There is always time...
Yes, there is always time to do it. Spain is a friendly country of Israel and we may have disagreements of opinion, but we have suffered attacks by barbarians... That the visit was skipped has left us, how should I put it, a feeling of bitterness. And by the way...
You will say.
Well, I'll let it be. I have learned to speak when it is necessary to speak and to be silent when it is necessary to be silent.
