Member of Knesset Gid'on Saar, who is challenging Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for leadership of the Likud Party, has reacted to the scheduling of new Knesset elections by saying, "Israeli politics has dropped to a low. The only thing that's important is to prevent deterioration."
Interviewed by public radio, Saar added, "I have a lot of support among Likud members and the heads of the local authorities. They are being pressured not to support me publicly. Brutal pressures."