Lieberman sparks uproar with call to transfer Area C to Jordan, then claims: “I got confused”

The chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, Member of Knesset Avigdor Lieberman, sparked controversy Wednesday when he said in an interview that territories from Judea and Samaria should be transferred to Jordanian control. "We must reach an understanding with the Jordanians so that they manage areas B and C in Judea and Samaria and take security and political responsibility," he said.

The remarks, made during an interview with "Besheva," stirred intense reactions in the political system; afterwards, Yisrael Beiteinu claimed that he had misspoken.

When Liberman was asked if he trusts the Jordanian army following his comments, he replied: "They have no choice; I don't know if they will send in their own army or establish battalions here. But, in the end, the Palestinian issue is more critical for them than it is for Israel."

Storm in the coalition

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked Liberman and wrote on his X account: "Liberman, I knew you were on the left ever since you formed a government with Mansour Abbas. I know you are on the left because you will form a government with Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Bennett, and the Arab parties. But I never believed you would propose today that the Jordanian army control the territories of the Land of Israel. Retract immediately!"

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich added: "Listen to Liberman: someone who presents himself as a right-winger is suggesting that we give up our security responsibility in Judea and Samaria and transfer it to the Jordanians! To the Jordanians! Liberman wants to return Israel to the days of the Jordanian Legion. We must not allow this to happen."

The chairman of the 'Amcha Yisrael' party, Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter, attacked as well, saying, "Avigdor, you are confused. I heard about Lieberman's new security plan that the Jordanians would take security and administrative responsibility in Judea and Samaria. A foreign army will bring forces into our territory? Are we crazy? Just yesterday, the King of Jordan stated from the UN podium that 'the appetite of the Israeli government has become a regional threat' and called the IDF's actions in Judea and Samaria 'war crimes.' Is he supposed to protect our security? He will deploy forces near our communities?"

"The statement must be clear: only the IDF will be responsible for Israel's security between the Jordan River and the sea! Anything else is part of a dangerous concept that will bring upon us another October 7th – this time from Judea and Samaria," Winter added.

Shas chairman Aryeh Deri added: "Liberman has forgotten what it means to be right-wing. In the past, he proposed land swaps in the Triangle area with the Palestinian Authority. Now he is proposing to hand over control of Judea and Samaria to the Jordanians, and after that we might end up with the Muslim Brotherhood in the left-wing government he plans to form with Eisenkot and Yair Golan. Sharon brought upon us the disaster of the Gaza disengagement, and now Liberman is proposing a second disengagement in Judea and Samaria. Liberman is a danger to the right."

After the stormy reactions, Liberman and the "Yisrael Beiteinu" party tried to calm things down.

"During a podcast, MK Avigdor Liberman accidentally said 'Areas B and C' instead of A and B. The hysterical reaction of the draft dodgers' bloc only shows how desperate they are. For those who have trouble recovering from the confusion, let us remind you that Netanyahu confused October 7th with November 7th when he spoke about the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust," the party's spokesperson stated.

Liberman himself published several tweets in response, in one of which he wrote: "Remember that Bibi apologized to those same people who today accuse us of genocide?"

In another tweet, Liberman shared a video featuring a compilation of Netanyahu’s statements, and wrote: "This isn’t AI. This is Netanyahu saying: 'We must have a Palestinian state in the West Bank!'"

Alongside these videos, Liberman published a long tweet in which he wrote: "The only one who declared willingness to establish a Palestinian state, in the Bar-Ilan speech, is Benjamin Netanyahu. I have said several times, and I repeat: The Palestinian Authority is a terrorist organization, and the distinction between it and Hamas is clear. Hamas specializes in armed terror, and the Palestinian Authority in political terror. Therefore, the State of Israel must create territorial continuity between all Area C territories and maintain absolute control there. At the same time, an alternative must be found for administrative and security control in Areas A and B."

“I am strongly opposed to Israel managing the lives of Palestinians in Nablus, Jenin, or Tulkarm. Therefore, to prevent a vacuum that would be filled by Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other terrorists, there must be an agreement with Jordan for them to manage Areas A and B, an Israeli-Jordanian confederation. Anyone who supported the expulsion of Jews from Gush Katif, released Yahya Sinwar and another 1,026 terrorists, and initiated the transfer of Qatari money into the Gaza Strip, has no right to preach morality to anyone,” he concluded.