Sa'ar makes Times of London's 20 young leaders list

The Times of London listed him late Thursday as one of its "Rising stars: Twenty faces to look out for in 2020."

By GIL HOFFMAN
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar casts his vote in the Likud leadership primaries, December 26, 2019 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar casts his vote in the Likud leadership primaries, December 26, 2019
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/ MAARIV)
Former Likud leadership candidate Gideon Sa’ar has made a name for himself on the international scene.
The Times of London has listed him as one of its “Rising stars: Twenty faces to look out for in 2020.”
The list includes Hong Kong protest organizer Jimmy Sham, Spain’s 14-year-old Princess Leonor and Valérie Pécresse, the president of the Île-de-France regional council, which includes Paris. On the dark side, it also includes IRGC Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani, who was assassinated on Friday.
The article calls Saar “a popular former cabinet minister and, more importantly, the sole senior figure brave enough to take on the all-mighty Bibi within his own party.”
“Even though Mr. Saar, 53, lost the recent leadership election, he is consolidating his status as frontrunner to succeed Mr. Netanyahu,” the article writes. “And since Israeli politics are split down the middle, the next government is likely to be a national unity coalition, ensuring him at least part of the term as prime minister.”
The article notes that Saar is “something of an anomaly in Israeli politics,” because he is a native of Tel Aviv, which is not Likud territory and a staunch nationalist who at the same time has cultivated a young, relatively secular image, including occasional stints as guest DJ at some of the city’s trendiest nightclubs.
“Add to that a glamorous second wife, a television news anchor for Israel’s public broadcaster, and he is poised to take Likud into the post-Netanyahu future,” the article says. “That is, if the Houdini of Israeli politics is indeed finally on his way out.”
Sa’ar has made an effort to reach out to the international media, hiring respected international strategist and media consultant Jason Pearlman, a former foreign media adviser to President Reuven Rivlin.