It seems like we were just here, but Israel is going to elections again. One thing is certain about this round, and that is that Benny Gantz, like so many challengers to Benjamin Netanyahu before him, has been crushed and will no longer be a significant factor in this race.
This time, the new face on the scene will be Gideon Sa’ar. The former number two in Likud may not be familiar to many Americans, but he has been a prominent force in Israeli politics for years and there are aspects to him that make him a different kind of challenge to Netanyahu. But, more than ever, the fact that he, along with Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, and, to a lesser extent, Avigdor Liberman seem sure to be the challengers who hope to unseat Netanyahu this time, means the choice in Israel is between far right and farther right.
Still, Sa’ar is going to be an important figure for people to be aware of for some time to come. I take a look at who he is in my latest piece at Responsible Statecraft.