The race for the upcoming Israeli election is heating up with a strange twist as Benjamin Netanyahu finds himself accused of being too pro-Palestine by his own right-wing rivals. Avigdor Liberman, the leader of Yisrael Beytenu, is now actively branding the prime minister as a supporter of Palestinian statehood, the Daily Caller reports.
Liberman made his stance clear by pointing directly to a 2009 speech that Benjamin Netanyahu delivered at Bar-Ilan University. During his critique, Liberman stated, “The only one who declared his willingness to establish a Palestinian state is Benjamin Netanyahu.” This attack was a direct response to the criticism Liberman faced after he suggested that Israel should allow Jordan to manage Areas A and B of the West Bank. He floated this specific plan while appearing on the B’Sheva podcast, where he also described the Palestinian Authority as bankrupt.
The prime minister did not take these comments lying down and quickly fired back by painting his former aide as a member of the left. Benjamin Netanyahu took to X to share his thoughts on the matter. “Liberman, I knew that you were on the left ever since you established a government with Mansour Abbas,” the prime minister wrote on X.
Liberman doubled down on his narrative by sharing a video of Netanyahu speaking about Palestinian statehood
Liberman captioned the X post by saying, “This isn’t AI. This is Netanyahu saying: ‘We must have a Palestinian state in the West Bank!'” It is a bold move that highlights how intense the friction between these two figures has become as the campaign enters its final stretch.
Other senior coalition figures have wasted no time jumping into the fray to condemn Liberman for his proposal regarding Jordan. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich warned that such a move would lead to the loss of Israeli security control. He noted, “Liberman wants to return Israel to the days of the Jordanian Legion. We must not let that happen.”
The criticism continued with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, who labeled Liberman as dangerous for Israel. Aryeh Deri, the head of the ultra-orthodox Shas party, also joined the chorus by claiming that Liberman has “forgotten what it means to be right-wing.”
Current projections suggest that Liberman’s party is on track to secure roughly 10 seats.
Published: Oct 4, 2026 04:20 pm