Israel’s New Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, and His View of the World

Israel’s new foreign minister, Gideon Sa’ar, set out his views on everything from “the gang in Damascus” to “opening an embassy in Moldova” to “the need to better fund Israel’s hasbara” in a meeting with journalists. More on his tour d’horizon of Israeli policy, and how he now sees the region and the world, can be found here.

Earlier this week, while we sat in front of the very new Foreign Minister MK Gideon Sa’ar, he shared that he was tired, working on fumes, after a night of votes in the Knesset plenum.

He opened the drawers in the Jerusalem office of the foreign minister, which he had yet to get used to. Since he had only slept two hours the previous night, he asked his staff if they had chocolate or energy bars. In this exclusive interview, he assured the Magazine that since he has decades of experience as a politician, the fatigue won’t affect his ability to speak about all the threats and opportunities for Israel in the near future.

He is not one to shy away from the complex realities of diplomacy. He has tackled pressing issues with a pragmatic approach, ranging from Iran’s nuclear ambitions to regional instability in Syria, relations with the US, and delicate diplomatic ties with Europe. In a candid interview, Sa’ar shared his vision, laying bare the challenges and opportunities ahead for Israel on the international stage.

Trump’s second term, ‘an opportunity’

Sa’ar began by expressing optimism about Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency, highlighting the alignment between the two nations on key strategic issues. “First and foremost, there is a shared perspective on the Iranian issue, which has the potential to lead to strategic understandings at the highest level,” Sa’ar remarked.

He reflected on Trump’s first presidency as a period of significant breakthroughs for Israel, citing the Pompeo Doctrine on settlements, the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, and the relocation of the US Embassy to Jerusalem. “These were groundbreaking steps that were not standard policies, even by American terms,” he said.

He’s right to be sanguine about the re-arrival of Donald Trump in the White House. In his first term, Israel’s “best friend ever” moved the American embassy to Jerusalem, and recognized the Israeli annexation of the Golan Heights (that had taken place in 1981), while his Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced — in what is now known as the Pompeo Doctrine — that Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria are “not inconsistent with international law.” And to judge by the remarks of Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick as US ambassador to Israel, there may be recognition by Washington of Israel’s formal annexation of territories in Judea and Samaria.

Acknowledging that disagreements with Washington are inevitable, Sa’ar nonetheless emphasized the strategic importance of shared views. “When there’s no clear gap between us and America, Israel becomes diplomatically stronger,” he explained. This alignment, he added, serves as a deterrent to Israel’s adversaries, who often look for fissures between the two nations. “Our adversaries are always searching for rifts in the US-Israel relationship,” he stated.

While flexibility will be required to navigate differences, Sa’ar is confident that the foundation for collaboration is strong. “You can’t expect to always get exactly what you want, but flexibility is essential in diplomacy,” he said.

Israeli presence in Gaza

When asked if he assumes there will always be an Israeli military presence in Gaza, Sa’ar was unequivocal: “My working assumption is that in the foreseeable future, only we can ensure our security.” However, he clarified that this does not mean reestablishing Jewish settlement in Gaza. “Although I opposed the disengagement [from Gush Katif, the Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip in 2005], the goals set by the cabinet do not include such plans,” he said….

There would be an enormous outcry if Israel were to establish new settlements in Gaza, and it would be a real headache to protect those Israeli civilians from terrorist attacks. Instead, Sa’ar sees the need to have the IDF continuing indefinitely to be responsible for security in the Strip, and especially, manning the strip of land on Gaza’s border with Egypt known as the Philadelphi Corridor, in order to prevent the smuggling of weapons from Egypt into Gaza.

Sa’ar wants the Gazans to be able to rule themselves but not to have weapons, and for there not to be any military forces in the Strip except those of the IDF. He agrees with the lapidary statement of Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has said “I’m certainly willing to have them [the Palestinians in Gaza and Judea and Samaria] have all the powers that they need to govern themselves, but none of the powers that can threaten us.”