In an interview to Basheva today, veteran Israeli politician MK Avigdor Lieberman called for a controversial proposal alongside an attack on Prime Minister Netanyahu. “The only one who declared willingness to establish a ‘Palestinian’ state, in the Bar-Ilan speech, is Benjamin Netanyahu,” Lieberman said.
He laid out his position: “I’ve said it several times and I’ll say it again: The Palestinian Authority is a terrorist organization, and the division between it and Hamas is clear. Hamas specializes in armed terror, and the Palestinian Authority in diplomatic terror. Therefore, the State of Israel must create territorial continuity between all Area C territories and maintain absolute control there. At the same time, we must find an alternative to administrative and security control in Areas A and B.”
Lieberman drew a hard line on direct Israeli governance. “I strongly oppose Israel managing the lives of Palestinians in Shechem [Nablus], Jenin, or Tulkarm.” His solution: bring in Jordan. “Therefore, to prevent a vacuum that Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorists will enter, we need to reach an agreement with Jordan on their management of Areas A and B—an Israeli-Jordanian confederation.”
He closed with a blistering attack on Netanyahu’s record: “Someone who supported the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif, who released Yahya Sinwar and 1,026 other terrorists, and who initiated the transfer of Qatari money into the Gaza Strip has no right to preach morality to anyone.”
Netanyahu slammed Liberman, writing, “Liberman, I knew you were on the left ever since you formed a government with Mansour Abbas. I know you’re on the left because you’ll form a government with Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Bennett, and the Arab parties. But I didn’t believe you would propose today that the Jordanian army control the territories of the Land of Israel. Retract this immediately!”