fbpx

News

Lieberman attacks Bennett over West Bank annexation plan

[ssba]

Yisrael Beitenu leader, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman yesterday launched his party’s election campaign and attacked his political rivals, including Jewish Home leader Naftali Bennett, criticising his plans to annex the West Bank.

Lieberman spoke under the election slogan “Tachles”(Telling it how it is). As such, he said that he would make the Israel-Palestinian conflict a core component of the campaign and criticised the approach of his rivals. He said that Labour leader Isaac Herzog and Hatnuah head Tzipi Livni, who have formed a joint ticket, can only offer what Israeli leaders have previously failingly offered during peace talks. Turning to the right, Lieberman said that Jewish Home’s plan to officially annex the West Bank entirely meant that they must “decide whether they talk about a binational state between the Jordan [River] and the [Mediterranean] sea, or an apartheid state without granting the right to vote to all the citizens.”

Offering his own solution, Lieberman unveiled the slogan “Ariel for Israel, Umm al-Fahm for Palestine.” It conveyed Lieberman’s long-held support for handing over heavily Arab-populated areas of Israel to a future Palestinian state while ensuring that large West Bank settlements remain under Israeli sovereignty.

Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On said that Lieberman’s proposal “undermines Lieberman’s attempts to present himself as a member of the political centre” and instead “now he reveals himself as a racist and in support of the transfer of Arab Israelis from the country.”

Lieberman said that he would announce Yisrael Beitenu’s list of Knesset candidates on Monday and that it would include “Jews, Muslims, Druze, Christians, municipality heads and kibbutznikim.” He said he hopes Yisrael Beitenu will receive 16 mandates. However, current polls indicate that they will win between 5-7 seats. Lieberman also refused to rule out any potential coalition partner, commenting “I don’t reject any faction. The time has come for us to reject one another as little as possible. I never committed myself to anyone. I want to see the guidelines for the next government.”