Avigdor Lieberman is one of the most experienced and veteran people in Israeli politics.
According to him, he knows Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu better than anyone else in the political system.
In a special interview with Israel Hayom, the politician assesses that the Prime Minister has decided to end his political career.
Lieberman: "Initiate a determined military move and hit all Hezbollah positions."
Credit: Knesset Channel
"It is clear to me that Netanyahu has decided to retire," he states.
"He wants to reach peace with Saudi Arabia, so that this will be his legacy, and that he will not go down in history as the one responsible for the great failure in Israel. Netanyahu will not take a risk in a war in the north, will strive for a diplomatic settlement that will buy peace for a limited time in the north, reach a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia for the sake of his legacy, and retire ".
According to Lieberman, "In his vision, Netanyahu wants to reach an agreement with Saudi Arabia by October, and in order for the US to be part of the agreement before the elections, it has to happen by June."
Lieberman and Netanyahu, 2008, photo: Gil Yohanan Contact
Why are you so convinced that Netanyahu wants to retire?
"He's fed up. I don't remember Netanyahu being so passive, especially after the delusional conference in the nation's buildings."
Lieberman is, of course, referring to the resettlement conference in Gaza.
"This is simply a delusion. There is no place for resettlement now in Gush Katif. There are people who do it only for electoral considerations, for primaries. There are truly delusional people who believe in it and want it, but it is not on the agenda."
"It's just a hallucination."
The conference in the nation's buildings, photo: Oren Ben Hakon
The events of October 7 drive Lieberman out of his mind, since as a former defense minister, he claims that the writing was on the wall.
When he was in office, he placed a document on Prime Minister Netanyahu's desk, with a copy to the Chief of Staff at the time, Gadi Eisenkot, and the head of the Security Council at the time, Herzi Halevi, in which he claimed that postponing the decision to "preemptively strike" on Gaza after July 2017 would be a grave mistake , with "far reaching consequences even from the results of the Yom Kippur War".
According to him, "All three of them committed the sin of arrogance. They told me that it was all nonsense, that I see the shadow of mountains as mountains. I did not write this with my grandchildren, it was all in the intelligence material," he ruled.
After October 7, don't you see disillusionment in the military ranks as well?
"The conduct and the conduct of the war are simply not correct. In the south it is impossible to move in column, we had to act simultaneously. The big mistake is the unwillingness to face the challenge of the Philadelphia axis. There are dozens of tunnels, the Egyptians at best close their eyes, do nothing. It's like an open faucet that a lot of water comes out of it and at the end you try to dry it with the shovel. There's no point if you don't close the main tap, and the main tap is the Philadelphia axis."
Philadelphia axis.
"To take control of it, not to ask the Egyptians", photo: E.P
Israel does not operate in the Philadelphia axis because of Egypt's threats.
"The Egyptians are simply irrelevant. It's an audacity that we don't know how to exact a price. When the Egyptians were in trouble with the Islamic State inside Sinai, they turned to us, I was the Minister of Defense. We helped them overcome the Islamic State both from the air and from the land. When they felt threatened, they asked to be brought into Sinai Forces beyond what was approved for them in the Camp David Agreement, and we allowed them. When they felt distress on Capitol Hill and asked for help in Congress, we helped. So right now when we are in distress, and it's about Israel's security, they are not ready and are standing on the back foot? We need to charge them a price."
What does it mean to charge a price from Egypt? We have a peace agreement with them.
"Take over the Philadelphia axis, don't ask them. We shouldn't deport anyone from Gaza, we shouldn't pressure anyone, we shouldn't encourage immigration, but anyone who wants to leave for Egypt - we shouldn't arrest anyone.
"The Egyptians have made the Gaza Strip a headache for us, they are happy that we are attracting large forces there. They are playing a double game, lying to our faces, telling us stories that they are against Hamas, and in practice they cooperate with Hamas in everything - in smuggling, in negotiations they adopt the Hamas' position, including now."
But it is a problem to blow up relations with the Egyptians. Israel needs them for the hostage deal, for the Rafah crossing, for the Philadelphia axis.
"I don't need the Egyptians, they need me more than I need them. When they are in need, they always turn to us. Wherever there is conflict - there are refugees, and the international community wants to take in the refugees. Even in the Russia-Ukraine war, the European Union obliged the European countries to take in Ukrainian refugees, we also took in Ukrainian refugees. It is impossible for the Gaza Strip to be turned into a cage, and they force the people to stay there. We should not pressure or deport anyone, but keep them free of movement. Those who want to leave, let them go to Sinai. Also At the price of a head-on collision with Egypt, we must not blink."
As part of that price collection and payment, do you support the reoccupation of the strip?
"No, in Gaza we need to control northern Gaza and the Strip (referring to the perimeter; LAS).
Similar to the way they operate in Judea and Samaria, in areas B and A.
Absolute operational freedom of action.
Do not allow the strengthening of a terrorist organization, do not allow any terrorist organization."
"Turn off the faucet to Jordan"
Former Foreign Minister Lieberman also has a full stomach in relation to Jordan.
"The Jordanians joined South Africa's lawsuit in The Hague. The Queen of Jordan blames Israel, denies the horrors of October 7, the Jordanian Foreign Minister attacks us and we do not charge any price," he claims.
"When the King of Jordan was in distress and massacred the Palestinians in September 1970, the one who helped him was the State of Israel. They were supposed to supply us with electricity, and they regretted it. Why do we need to supply them with water? We need to stop supplying water to Jordan.
"We also need to sever relations with South Africa, call on all the Jews there to immigrate to Israel. If we continue to be the 'kids of the kafots,' we will never end the conflict here. Collecting the price is part of the national strategy. In the Middle East, the fact that we behave like the 'kids of the kafots' only Prolongs the war. We have become a paper tiger. If we had reacted immediately to every violation properly, we would not have come to this. After we signed 1701 and saw a Hezbollah operative crossing the Litani, we had to act.
"Relations should be severed", the prosecution team from South Africa before the members of the committee at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, photo: UN Photo/ICJ-CIJ/ Frank van Beek
"In September 2016, I convened a consultation with senior General Staff and former senior officials on the subject of a 'preemptive strike' in Lebanon.
Everyone passed out, I almost called an ambulance.
This is a very defensive approach, the main thing is to be quiet, to let them pass the term in peace.
The impression is that at the General Staff everyone is walking around with their hands on their heads, just to avoid getting hit."
Lieberman also has something to say about dealing with the Houthis: "These are gangs that launch missiles, drones, and UAVs here. To respond, we need to send planes, the Air Force, there. Why don't we have enough missiles and rockets? As Minister of Defense I demanded missiles and rockets , and after I left they texted it."
Should Israel bomb Yemen?
"I would destroy the port of Hodeidah. It is the main gate of the Houthis, I don't understand why they are not harmed. The question is whether we want to bleed for a few years. The current policy guarantees that we will bleed in the next two years."
Lieberman's solution for the northern front includes ground entry into Lebanon, taking over a strip of at least 11 km to prevent anti-tank fire into Israel and denying physical occupation of the Israeli settlements near the fence.
"The IDF should return to the security zone in Lebanon, but in a much more rigid and tougher way," he claims.
Now we have to manage it in a tougher way, and announce that it's been with us for 50 or 100 years.
We will not leave until there is a government in Beirut that can control the territory.
At the strategic level, we must prevent the strengthening of Hezbollah, unload Hezbollah of weapons and precision missiles.
This can only be done in a military operation, and not half-heartedly, but go all the way, without any limitations."
What is your position regarding the introduction of humanitarian aid to Gaza?
"No humanitarian aid! What humanitarian aid? This is once again the leadership's inability to withstand pressure, purely political considerations. No practical consideration. This is unacceptable. We have not received proof that our abductees received medication. The Red Cross does not have access to our abductees. This The basic humanitarian thing. 70 percent of the humanitarian aid goes to Hamas, not to the needy."
And how would it look in The Hague if you didn't bring in humanitarian aid?
"The Hague, for me, was an anti-Semitic, anti-Israel circus. In fact, the fact that Israel appeared at the tribunal gave it permission. The first time it was as if we escaped, but there is another lawsuit on the way. And the second time, when they convict us, we will not be able to say that we do not recognize them. It was a mistake to appear Name".
Lieberman, as we know, does not spare criticism of Netanyahu and his government, yet he believes that the time is not yet ripe for elections as long as the IDF is fighting in Gaza. for the elections.
How will the elections be done now technically?
When Gantz and Eisenkot sit in the government?
And how will the elections be held?
What, will they bring polling stations to Khan Yunis?"
Humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip (archive), photo: AFP
What do you think about the function of the Chief of Staff? The Chief of Staff?
"There, too, they will have to do a real soul-searching. A week before October 7, all the leaders, one after the other, informed us that Hamas was deterred. In a letter for Rosh Hashanah, the Chief of Staff informed us that the army had completed preparations for a multi-aspect conflict.
Unlike the political rank, the military rank has internal integrity.
I'm sure they will all draw the right conclusions."
And the prime minister?
"At the political level, I have never seen such a troll, such a spectacle of hypocrisy. Before the Winograd committee, Netanyahu explained from the stage of the Knesset what the responsibilities of a prime minister are between wars, and especially during wars. Naa demands - Naa fulfills. He gave all the reasons why the prime minister should accept responsibility and resign".
According to Lieberman, in order to deal with the deep mud that Israel has fallen into in all areas, "there must be managerial ability" at the top.
"Netanyahu is a good marketer, world-class number one. But as a manager, he has no management skills. Even among the military personnel, I have seen almost no one with managerial skills. Management is also not Eisenkot's and Gantz's strong point. Both are good officers, without a doubt Valuable people, but their management and organizational skills are not their strong point."
Who do you think is a good manager?
"I think that of everyone currently in the arena, Avigdor Lieberman's managerial and organizational ability is the best."
Do you see yourself as prime minister in the future?
"I have never ruled it out. I will repeat Rabin's statement: for me it is an option, not an obsession."
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