Liberman Sparks Outrage With Proposal to Cede West Bank Control to Jordan

Avigdor Liberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, ignited a political firestorm on Wednesday by suggesting in an interview that Jordan should manage areas B and C in the West Bank due to the Palestinian Authority's bankruptcy. This proposal drew sharp criticism from numerous coalition party figures.

The Yisrael Beiteinu party issued a clarification, stating Liberman "mistakenly said areas B and C instead of A and B." They further commented on the "hysterical reaction" from opponents, attributing it to desperation and drawing a parallel to Prime Minister Netanyahu's alleged confusion regarding dates of the October 7th massacre.

Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich condemned Liberman's remarks at an event in the Benjamin region, calling the idea of Jordanian security control over the area "absurd" but "the absolute truth." He characterized Liberman's stance as a loss of values and urged the right-wing to win the upcoming elections.

Simcha Rothman, also from the Religious Zionism party, questioned Liberman's understanding of security, asking if Jordanian soldiers would risk their lives to separate Palestinian militants from Israeli towns. Arieh Deri, chairman of Shas, accused Liberman of forgetting his right-wing principles, recalling his past proposals for land swaps and warning of a potential Muslim Brotherhood presence in a left-wing government.

Ofer Winter, chairman of Am Israel, strongly opposed the idea of foreign military forces in the West Bank, especially given Jordan's King Abdullah II's recent criticisms of Israeli actions. Winter asserted that only the IDF should be responsible for Israel's security between the Jordan River and the sea, warning that any other arrangement would lead to a disaster similar to October 7th.