גדעון סער
גדעון סערצילום: ערוץ כנסת

Gideon Saar, leader of the New Hope party, today (Sunday) attacked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s policy regarding public health guideline enforcement. "I would have enforced the law clearly, without any differences between communities and regions in the country," he said to Walla News.

"The state is drowning," Saar said. "I have children, who have been to an actual classroom for perhaps a month in total since the school year started. Other children violate the guidelines and the law and have been to school every day.The state must enforce the law for the institutions it funds and licenses."

Asked if Netanyahu did not enforce the regulations because of his political alliance with the Haredi elements, Saar replied: "Netanyahu does not enforce anything for anyone.”

Asked if his positive relationship with the Haredi parties would help him enforce the guidelines, Sa’ar said, "I don’t love the Haredi parties and I don’t hate them, but I also don’t work for or depend on them. My government will practice equal enforcement for all. I see in the current situation the same loss of control that has led to failure of the current government, closure of Ben Gurion Airport and in everything related to enforcement, and ultimately brought us to the situation that despite the hardships the people of Israel have suffered - about 4,300 are dead already - the children cannot to schools, the economy has been damaged, the business sector is closed, and the disease continues to spread.”

Saar emphasized that the closure of Ben Gurion Airport is indeed a failure. "How can it be that in a country like Greece every person who returns to Greece is tested, and here, for nearly a year, there exists a loophole through which the disease streams unchecked? This is a serious failure of the current government, and because it denies its failures, we will set up a state commission of inquiry into the handling of this crisis.”

Asked whether he would agree to form a coalition under Netanyahu or prefer to go to another election, Saar said: "There is one person responsible for Israel going to the fourth election in two years. I intend to replace Netanyahu. Only separation between Netanyahu and the office of Prime Minister will restore stability to the state of Israel. There will be no fifth election, I will form the next government."

Sa’a also rejects the idea that Netanyahu could be President of Israel: "The answer is no. I raised this possibility in the past over a year ago, in December 2019. We are in January 2021. That was before the indictment, before the hearing, and today the reality is different and it is certainly not part of my political plan."

Saar also referred to the program he presented this morning for the elderly public. "One of the issues that bothers the citizens of Israel the most is the plight of impoverished senior citizens - about 200,000, an inconceivable number that is still it growing. We are committed to allowing them to grow old with dignity. My government will promote two specific changes to break the cycle of poverty - targeted assistance to the poorest senior citizens; and the enactment of a state-run, long-term care insurance plan.”