Moshe Kahlon
Moshe KahlonElad Malka

Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon (Kulanu) on Monday evening welcomed the return to politics of former minister Gideon Saar.

"Today we learned that an old friend from my former party has returned to political life, Gideon Saar. I want to wish him success, he is a true friend," Kahlon said at a gathering of Kahlon activists in Holon.

Saar had earlier on Monday announced he would be returning to political life after taking a break for two and a half years.

"My goal is to strengthen the Likud to meet the challenges of the future, to ensure that the Likud movement, which is the leading national movement in Israel, will lead the country in the future as well. Likud members and will present a series of ideas and solutions to the country's problems in all areas," Saar declared at a press conference.

There had been speculations that, were he to return to political life, he would form a new party, but Saar rejected that idea and will return to the Likud.

In his remarks on Monday, Kahlon also addressed recent tensions in the coalition, several days after he and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reached a compromise on the issue of the new public broadcaster.

"We are in the middle of the road. We are here to stay here and to act," Kahlon said, adding, “The public will determine where we are, not anyone else. No one is doing us any favors.”

"Every shekel we get from the growth of the economy will go to the elderly, the disabled, to public housing, to groups that have been neglected for years. We have an opportunity. If there will be another finance minister, I do not know what will happen,” he continued.

Kahlon dismissed the public attacks against him, saying, "I will be worried the moment they stop coming to us with complaints, because that would mean they do not believe in us.”

“More than once I've heard people say, 'Let's make noise and demonstrate because if we do not solve the problem when Kahlon is around, it will never be solved.' For me this is a compliment. The demonstrations and the protests are a compliment. If they did not believe in us, they would treat us like others, indifferently. But they believe in us and will not be disappointed,” he continued.