Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Defense Minister Israel Katz, and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar are three of the most influential men in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet – Dermer because of his unyielding loyalty to the prime minister, Katz because of the weight of the Defense Ministry, and Sa’ar because he now holds the Foreign Ministry in a government he once vowed never to join.
Of the three, Dermer is the most pivotal. Once a behind-the-scenes adviser and ambassador to the US, he is widely recognized in Israel as the man Netanyahu trusts more than almost anyone and as his alter ego abroad, shaping Israel’s arguments in Washington and beyond.
Dermer’s power rests on a simple fact: When he speaks, it is assumed he is channeling Netanyahu directly, with no daylight between them. That has been true for more than two decades at Netanyahu’s side and especially during his tenure in Washington from 2013 to 2021, when he managed Israel’s relationship first with Barack Obama and the Democrats and later with Donald Trump and the Republicans.
Today, Dermer remains the hinge in Israel’s most critical relationships – steering diplomacy with the US and heading the hostage negotiations team. He was also a central figure, perhaps the central figure, in persuading Trump to join the bombing of Iran.
Unlike other ministers, Dermer harbors no political ambitions, builds no faction, and cultivates no electoral base. His influence comes from loyalty, discretion, and Netanyahu’s trust – making him indispensable at a time when Israel’s international position is under unprecedented strain.
Israel Katz
If Dermer wields influence through loyalty, Katz does so by virtue of his portfolio. As defense minister in wartime, his desk touches every urgent front: Gaza, Hezbollah, Iran, the Houthis, and the day-to-day safety of millions of Israelis. Katz is an experienced and assertive politician, unafraid to clash publicly with the military brass to underline that the IDF answers to the political echelon, and not the other way around.
He regularly threatens Israel’s enemies, from Iran to Hamas to the Houthis, with critics saying he is often more bark than bite. But he knows what he is doing, because these threats – that the 10 plagues will be rained down on the Houthis and a hurricane will sweep through Gaza City – are intended as much for the Likud base as they are for Israel’s adversaries.
For Katz is also the quintessential Likud insider with ambitions beyond the Defense Ministry. Unlike Dermer, he openly sees himself as a potential successor to Netanyahu, and that aspiration shapes his conduct, projecting toughness and signaling resolve.
As the official directing the defense establishment in a multi-front war, Katz’s voice is very significant. He is in the room when the critical calls are made and – by dint of his position – has as much influence over them as anyone else in the room, with the exception of the prime minister.
Gideon Sa’ar
If Dermer is the loyalist and Katz the ambitious power broker, Sa’ar is the prodigal son.
Once seen as a possible heir to Netanyahu, he left the Likud in 2020 – blasting the prime minister in the process – formed his own party, merged with Benny Gantz, split again, watched his faction sink below the electoral threshold in the polls, and rejoined the Likud.
As foreign minister, he has taken a muscular approach to diplomacy, unafraid to take on countries – such as Ireland and Spain – who have made anti-Israeli positions a cornerstone of their foreign policy.
He may no longer be the heir apparent many once imagined, but Sa’ar has again made himself consequential by assuming control of the Foreign Ministry at a time of diplomatic siege.
Together, Dermer, Katz, and Sa’ar illustrate the different ways influence works inside Netanyahu’s cabinet. Dermer wields it quietly, through loyalty and access. Katz exercises it bluntly, through a portfolio that makes him impossible to ignore and a style that ensures he rarely is. Sa’ar reasserts it through reinvention, bouncing back from the brink of political irrelevance at a time when Netanyahu needed to shore up his coalition to claim a role in shaping Israel’s foreign policy.
Their styles vary, and their bonds with Netanyahu are anything but uniform. Still, in a government whose choices carry immense consequences at home and abroad, the sway they hold in the cabinet secures their place at the center of one of Israel’s most fateful moments.