Netanyahu spreading libel, hunting him, Sa'ar says on eve of Likud primary

By URI BOLLAG
Gideon Saar (photo credit: Courtesy)
Gideon Saar
(photo credit: Courtesy)
In an in interview on the eve of the Likud primaries, former Likud minister Gideon Sa'ar said that Netanyahu is spreading libel against him to prevent him from reaching a high spot on the party list, yet promised his loyalty to the Likud leader.
Speaking to Channel 12 News, Sa'ar said that the prime minister's conspiracy theory, according to which Netanyahu believes that Sa'ar conspired with President Reuven Rivlin to hand him over control of the Likud and potentially the government instead of Netanyahu, is false and that "there's no grain of truth" in it.
Netanyahu has spread false libel against him at several public events, Sa'ar asserted, and is adapting the fake story with time.
Nevertheless, Sa'ar promised his absolute loyalty to the party and whoever is leading it, but refrained from mentioning Netanyahu by name.
Pressed about commiting not to take the handle and form the government should Netanyahu be bypassed, Sa'ar ditched the question, again reiteritang his commitment to the party.
The former internal affairs and education minister maintained that Netanyahu and his family have been going after him for months, spreading libel against him and pressuring associates to vote against him.
While he had some sympathy for Netanyahu's current state of feeling hurt by the interrogations against him, Sa'ar said he would expect the prime minister to heed the Jewish proverb: "What you don't like done to you, don't do to others."
"I would expect of someone who feels hunted, not to hunt others," Sa'ar said.