Former minister Gideon Saar has welcomed Chairman of Natan Sharansky of the Jewish Agency's winning the Israel Prize for Immigration, saying, "Natan Sharansky, Israel Prize laureate - Zion praises her prisoners. Natan, one of the greatest Jews and Zionists living among us, symbolized and symbolizes the struggle for freedom, willpower and adherence to the vision of the return to Zion."
Saar added, "I was privileged to work with him and get to know him in my public roles in the government and the Knesset, and to appreciate his wisdom, his sharp wit and his good character."