It has been downhill from there, with six of the seven major polls taken since April 15 showing that his party would not pass the 3.25% election threshold needed to make it into the Knesset.
The veteran politician, a fierce opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, quit the government earlier this week.
Now that he has left the government, Sa’ar said he intends to publicly challenge its policies.
Gideon Sa’ar stressed that he and his party tried to get the government to change its approach to the war.
According to Sa'ar, the decision-making process made in the small war cabinet is problematic, and the MK has demanded to become a member of the smaller cabinet.
From the Likud’s perspective, the move was a positive development, as it weakened both Gantz’s and Ben-Gvir’s leverage over Netanyahu.
While Netanyahu thus received a lifeline for the short-term, political energy is now at a new level and public pressure for an election is likely to increase.
Sa'ar is a long-time Likud member who left because of differences with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
In a recent poll, former MK Yoaz Hendel's emerging right-wing liberal party is making waves, potentially securing eight seats and adding a new dynamic to Israeli politics.
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