Avigdor Liberman attacks Trump’s backing of Netanyahu

Avigdor Liberman accused Donald Trump on Monday of wanting to run Israel through “Bibi the puppet,” a day after Trump endorsed Netanyahu.

Avigdor Liberman made the remark in a 103FM radio interview. He also ruled out any minority government once Israelis vote on October 27.

He credited the US president with doing a great deal for Israelis. Even so, he stressed that the final decision belongs to Israel’s citizens.

Avigdor Liberman on Trump and Netanyahu

Liberman said he sees things that Israel has never seen before. He cited Trump’s remarks that Netanyahu would not attack in Beirut because Trump told him not to, and that Netanyahu will do what Trump says.

Any leader Israel elects will work well with Trump, he said. He added that Israel is an independent and sovereign country, so its voters decide.

Trump had backed Netanyahu on Sunday, ahead of the vote and after earlier declining to name a favourite.

No minority government, no Netanyahu

Last Thursday, Liberman said his party would refuse to back any minority government, even a temporary one. He also swore off joining a cabinet with Netanyahu’s Likud “under any circumstances,” while Netanyahu remained its leader.

The statement appeared to shut the door on a plan by Gadi Eisenkot, a former army chief, to lead a minority government with outside Arab support.

Liberman wants a coalition made up of Zionist parties only. He named those he would exclude: Ra’am, the Joint List, Shas and United Torah Judaism.

“Likud without Netanyahu can be a significant partner,” he added. He said several Likud members grasp the gravity of the moment.

He called a minority government “the most unstable thing there is” and predicted that it would send voters back to the polls soon.

Feud with Eisenkot

Polls show a deadlock between the rival camps, and neither side can win a majority without Arab parties. Some opposition leaders fear the standoff favours Netanyahu, who could stay in office if rivals fail to form a coalition.

On Friday, Liberman posted a long message titled “Gadi Eisenkot: Benny Gantz 2.” In it, Avigdor Liberman charged Eisenkot with preparing a government alongside Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox leaders Yitzhak Goldknopf and Aryeh Deri.

The four main opposition parties are Eisenkot’s Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, Yair Golan’s The Democrats and Liberman’s own party. Together they pledged to cooperate before the vote. Still, they have not picked a joint candidate for prime minister.

Eisenkot answered without naming Liberman. He asked Israelis to ignore the spin and to stay focused on the goal.

Recent polls give his party around nine to 10 seats. Even so, he predicted a solid majority for his camp.

He wrote that Eisenkot’s “largest party” campaign aims to take votes from inside the opposition bloc, not to win them from Netanyahu’s side. In Liberman’s words, the pieces of a hidden plan “begin to fall into place.”

Eisenkot has warned that Israelis will not forgive politicians who let personal interests block a change of government.

He also condemned remarks by Channel 14 presenter Yinon Magal about Eisenkot, calling them racist.

For now, Avigdor Liberman has drawn firm red lines, and they leave the opposition struggling to find a path to a government.