After Sa'ar resignation, PM offers Erdan interior portfolio

In the wake of Interior Minister Gideon Sa'ar's resignation announcement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has offered the interior portfolio to Communications Minister Gilad Erdan.

Erdan has also been weighing an offer to replace Ron Prosor as Israel's U.N. ambassador at the end of the year and has already begun preparations for a move to New York. It is expected he will inform Netanyahu of which position he wants to serve in by the start of Rosh Hashanah, which begins at sundown on Wednesday. As interior minister, Erdan would retain his position in the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet.

It is believed Netanyahu's effort to keep Erdan in Israel as a minister derives partly from the prime minister's concerns that the resignation of another Likud minister from the government could hurt the ruling party. Erdan is one of the most prominent ministers in the current government and it is important to Netanyahu that Erdan stay by his side.

If Erdan declines to take the interior portfolio, it might be offered to International Relations, Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz. In any scenario, there will be a ministerial opening (in addition to the deputy defense minister opening, which has remained unfilled since Danny Danon was fired in July) and the battle for it has already begun. Likud MK Gila Gamliel, reportedly eyeing the communications portfolio, holds a promise from Netanyahu for a ministerial appointment. Other candidates include Deputy Foreign Minister Tzachi Hanegbi and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Office Ofir Akunis. Akunis has been close with Netanyahu for many years and some in Likud believe the natural move would be for Akunis to be appointed communications minister, if Erdan vacates the position.

Another candidate is Coalition Chairman MK Yariv Levin, who has said since the start of the current government's term that he is next in line for a ministerial portfolio. But, contrary to reports in other media outlets, Levin told Israel Hayom that he wants to continue in his current role and he is not seeking to take Sa'ar's place in the government.

In a Channel 2 interview on Friday, Sa'ar said, "I'm still a young man, and it could very well be that after I do a few things outside, I'll return [to politics] -- if I miss it, and if the public still wants [me]. I didn't [quit] to build a new [political] pathway. I did it to engage with new challenges and to conduct my personal life differently."

On his relationship with Netanyahu, Sa'ar said, "I certainly can't deny that our relationship is different than in the past." According to Sa'ar, the relationship took a turn for the worse due to the presidential election in June, more specifically, the debate that preceded the election over whether or not it should be postponed.

Sa'ar's wife, Channel 1 news anchor Geula Even, was expected to return to work on Sunday. Even was briefly suspended last week due to a dispute with Ayala Hasson, the head of Channel 1's news division, over a ban that was in place on Even interviewing Likud MKs to avoid a conflict of interests.

Meanwhile, in recent private conversations with political figures, former President Shimon Peres has been saying that Finance Minister Yair Lapid should pull his Yesh Atid party out of the government in a joint move with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni's Hatnuah party.

According to a Channel 2 report over the weekend, Peres said in closed conversations that "Netanyahu's government has reached the end of the road."

"Netanyahu did not meet my expectations and did not advance the diplomatic process," Peres reportedly said.

Peres, whose term as president ended two months ago, continues to be active in the political and diplomatic arenas. He is currently in the U.S. to take part in a conference with international political and economic officials. Peres also met earlier this month with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

טעינו? נתקן! אם מצאתם טעות בכתבה, נשמח שתשתפו אותנו