Gideon Sa'ar
Gideon Sa'arKobi Richter/ TPS

Former minister Gideon Sa'ar, who received a top spot in the recent Likud primaries, expressed concern over what might happen if the right-wing government falls in Israel's upcoming elections.

In an interview with Israel Hayom, Sa'ar said, "Between [Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin] Netanyahu and myself there is no fighting, because a fight needs two sides and there aren't two sides willing to fight. Chasing can be one-sided. When certain things were said about me just before the party primaries, I had to respond so that my silence would not be considered an agreement."

"At this moment we need to be focused on the April 9 elections. All personal and interpersonal issues need to be brushed aside. They're a lot less important than our common goal."

Sa'ar doesn't agree with Netanyahu on everything, but believes Netanyahu's policies have aided Israel.

"The Likud returned to power exactly ten years ago," he said. "And in general we can say two important things: First, Israel today is stronger, from a political and economical perspective, than it was when we first returned to power. Second, during this period, Israel removed itself from the dangerous path of withdrawals, which began in the days of Oslo and continued for more than a decade. These two main facts, and this is the main choice the Israeli nation must make today, even if it's not presented this way, is: Do we continue in a path which strengthens Israel, or do we go back to the path of compromises and withdrawals?"

Sa'ar also noted that Netanyahu stood up to the pressures placed on him by the Obama administration for eight years.

"I don't agree with everything Netanyahu did, but I give him credit for his ability to stand up to the Obama administration for eight years, and for his ability to remove Israel from the precedent that [former Prime Minister] Ehud Olmert placed on the table. Because the Obama administration's original desire was to continue talks with Israel and the Palestinians from where Olmert left off. And he (Netanyahu - ed.) deserves credit for that."

In Sa'ar's opinion, Israel needs to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state under US President Donald Trump's peace plan.

"This is my opinion, and I expressed it at a meeting I held with US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman," he said. "There is no reason to stick to a draft whose main point is the creation of an Arab state in the heart of the land of Israel, i.e., an additional state. It doesn't matter if it's called a 'state minus'. I oppose a Palestinian state. In my eyes it's a dangerous idea for the future of the Jewish nation in their own land."

"The left says that the creation of an Arab state will solve the demographic problem, but the opposite is true. A state means they control their borders, and that means the entry of a Palestinian and Islamic population, which will want to be at the forefront of the fight against the Zionist entity. So in essence, the entire Zionist enterprise which we've reached will be in reverse, because a Palestinian state will cause an Arab majority in Israel. And anyone who wants to prevent such a majority must oppose it."

When asked what the alternative is, he responded, "Arab autonomy, the basis of which already exists in the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria. In my opinion, in the future we'll be able te reach regional agreements on the basis of existing states, and the autonomy will have a connection to Jordan. But in no way will there be an Arab state in Judea and Samaria, that would cause a problem beside which the problem of Gaza pales in comparison."

Sa'ar also emphasized that he supports applying Israeli law to the Israeli settlement areas in Judea and Samaria.

"In my eyes, this needs to be a top priority goal in the next government," he said. "We need to try to reach an agreement with the American government which will ensure an umbrella of protection in international bodies. I obviously oppose annexing the areas which are under the Palestinian Authority and which we have no control over. Our case is for Area C."