Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'arFlash 90

Former Minister Gideon Sa'ar intends to return to politics, Channel 10 News reported on Sunday.

According to the report, Sa’ar recently hinted of his plans at a gathering of Likud activists, saying, "In basketball a timeout takes one minute, in political life it takes about a year."

In September, Sa'ar unexpectedly announced he was leaving politics, citing personal reasons. He later considered contending for the leadership of the Likud party, but ultimately announced he would not do so.   

According to Channel 10’s report on Sunday, Saar is expected to contend in the next Likud primaries. It should be noted that even during the break he took from political life following the birth of his son, the former minister maintained ties with the Likud and from time to time commented on political issues, such as his call in May on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to build in Jerusalem instead of talking about building.

About an hour after the report aired on Channel 10, Sa'ar wrote on his Twitter account, “To all those who asked: I did not announce last week that the end of the break had come. I said, not for the first time, that the nature of each timeout is to end. When that happens - you will all know about it. From me.”           

Meanwhile, former Shin Bet chief Yuval Diskin declared on Sunday that he has no intention of entering politics in the coming years. Diskin’s message was posted to the WhatsApp group of an association that was supposed to serve as Diskin’s platform for his entry into public life.

"After a year and a half of thinking, I decided not to join politics," Diskin, who is known for his strong criticism of Netanyahu, wrote. "I have a strong urge to live like everyone else and not to deal with crucial decisions of life and death. Although I understand the importance of the present time period, I could not find the enthusiasm required to jump into politics. I understand that it's not yet time, and I do not know if that time will come in the future."