Liberman: Netanyahu trying to avoid responsibility for October 7

Avigdor Liberman, head of Yisrael Beytenu party, criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Friday and claimed that he wants to recognize a Palestinian state.

"As I said at the Knesset exactly a month ago, Netanyahu is about to dismantle the government based on an agreement with the Saudis," he posted on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

כפי שהודעתי מעל בימת הכנסת לפני כחודש בדיוק, נתניהו עומד לפרק את הממשלה על בסיס הסכם עם הסעודים. להלן, תכנית נתניהו:1. הכרה ישראלית במדינה פלסטינית. יהיו לכך סיפורים נלווים מבית היוצר של נתניהו כמו מדינה פלסטינית מינוס, כלומר מדינה שאין לה צבא וישראל תשלוט במרחב האווירי שלה…

— אביגדור ליברמן (@AvigdorLiberman) April 19, 2024

In his tweet, Liberman raised three points, which he claimed to be "Netanyahu's plan." According to Liberman, Netanyahu supports the recognition of a Palestinian state, granting approval for the Saudi nuclear program and assisting to transfer it to US Congress, and finally a commitment not to attack nuclear facilities on Saudi soil.

Netanyahu's motivation is to dissolve current coalition

Liberman argued that Netanyahu’s impetus for the plan is his desire to dissolve his current coalition, writing “he understands that recognizing a Palestinian state would break his coalition, the Knesset would dissolve and we would go for elections.”

Further in his tweet, regarding the agreement with Saudi Arabia, Liberman added that it is a move aimed at helping Netanyahu escape taking responsibility for the October 7 massacre, saying that he “wants the main topic of the coming elections to be the agreement with Saudi, and not his responsibility in the worst disaster in the history of the State of Israel.”

Liberman concluded his tweet saying, “We must refuse the establishment of a Palestinian state and the Saudi nuclear plan.”

Liberman then suggested that a Saudi nuclear plan would lead “the entire region into a crazy nuclear race” that would include countries such as Egypt and Turkey.