Gideon Sa'ar accuses the Netanyahu camp of slander and racism

"Dear friends, in the last hours and days, unfortunately, the other side is spreading extreme fake news: lies, slander, and even racist statements,” Sa’ar wrote on his Facebook page.

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF, GIL HOFFMAN
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar addresses the crowd at a rally for his campaign for the Likud leadership, December 16, 2019 (photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
Likud MK Gideon Sa'ar addresses the crowd at a rally for his campaign for the Likud leadership, December 16, 2019
(photo credit: AVSHALOM SASSONI/MAARIV)
MK Gideon Sa'ar, who is contesting the Likud Party leadership with Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, accused the prime minister’s entourage and supporters of running a negative campaign.
"Dear friends, in the last hours and days, unfortunately, the other side is spreading extreme fake news: lies, slander, and even racist statements,” Sa’ar wrote on his Facebook page.
“This is not our path. This is not the Likud way,” he remarked.
“I trust the wisdom of Likud members. They know how to transcend all of this and make a real, valuable and real choice. Tomorrow comes the change,” he added, inviting people to go out and vote.
Sa'ar was referring in part to a statement made by Culture Minister Miri Regev, who backs Netanyahu, who referred to Sa'ar's Bukharan heritage. Sa'ar's mother is half-Bukharan.
"We won't let the Bukharans win," she said.
Regev responded to Sa'ar's charges of racism by saying: "Out of desparation, the Sa'ar campaign is taking humor and calling it racism."
Likud MK Nir Barkat called upon Sa'ar to engage in "soul searching" for forcing what he called "an unnecessary primary whose results are known in advance."
Speaking at the Ma'ariv newspaper's leadership conference in Herzliya, Barkat said Sa'ar "took an opportunistic step that harmed the prime minister at one of the toughest times for him."
In a further blow to Sa'ar, the New Likudniks group that numbers thousands of Likud members decided to not endorse either candidate in Thursday's primary. The group criticized Sa'ar for not speaking out against corruption and for supporting allowing religious groups to operate in state secular schools.