Liberman Demands Netanyahu Be First Investigated Amid 'Betrayal' Claims

Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, addressing claims within parts of the right-wing camp of "betrayal" and "conspiracy" prior to the October 7th Hamas attacks. Liberman asserted that if Netanyahu wishes to investigate these allegations, the examination must begin with the decisions Netanyahu made over the years.

"Given the repeated claims by Netanyahu and his family about betrayal and conspiracy, there will be no avoiding an examination of them. And it must start with Netanyahu himself," Liberman wrote. He then listed several questions he believes require answers. Among them, he questioned the decision to release Yahya Sinwar and 1,026 other "terrorists," the decision for a ceasefire during Operation Protective Edge, and why Netanyahu, who Liberman stated detailed the dangers of Hamas in April 2017, did not act to prevent the organization's armament.

Liberman also addressed the policy of transferring Qatari money to the Gaza Strip, claiming it was a move Netanyahu "conceived and led himself," not an initiative by the IDF or security establishment. "How is it possible that Netanyahu personally led a move to inject Qatari money into Hamas in the Gaza Strip?" Liberman questioned.

He further included apologies to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Qatar, along with what he termed "a series of questionable decisions." The issue of the conscription law was also raised, with Liberman criticizing Netanyahu's conduct, stating, "How is it possible that during a war, Netanyahu is torpedoing the conscription law and passing draft-dodging laws?"

Liberman connected his remarks to Netanyahu's past equation, "You are the head, you are guilty," and to the verdict in the Nachal Tzafit disaster case, where a pre-military academy head was sentenced to seven years for managerial responsibility despite not participating in the trip where ten trainees died. "There are many questions here that Netanyahu and his alliance of draft dodgers do not intend to address," Liberman concluded. "We will receive the answers in a state commission of inquiry that we will establish after victory in the elections."