PM ‘irresponsible’ for hinting at security matters, says Liberman
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu behaved irresponsibly by warning that Israel is in a sensitive security situation, former defense minister MK Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) said at the Jerusalem Post Diplomatic Conference in Jerusalem Wednesday.
“I think it’s irresponsible to discuss intelligence information with the public and it’s an irresponsible way to discuss sensitive security issues with journalists and MKs,” Liberman said.
Liberman resigned from the Defense Ministry last week. Netanyahu accused him of behaving cynically and irresponsibly for throwing the government into turmoil during a sensitive time for Israel’s security, and said that a major security action is on the way.
The Yisrael Beytenu leader, dressed in a button-down shirt without the jacket and tie he would wear as a minister, defended his resignation, saying he saw the truce with Hamas as a “capitulation to terror.”
“What I saw in recent weeks was completely unacceptable,” he added. “I think the right policy in fighting terror is not giving up.”
He also responded to criticism that he had not voiced his objections in the security cabinet, saying: “I can assure you that what I said outside the cabinet is the same as what I said in the debates within the cabinet.
“I didn’t have any choice other than to submit my resignation,” he said. “It is no secret that I had disagreements with the prime minister about policy... It was irresponsible, from my point of view, to continue in this way... There is a time when you can’t be a cabinet member. You have to keep your commitments to your constituency.”
Liberman also discussed growing ties between Israel
and Sunni countries.
“They see Israel not as a problem but as a solution,” he said. “Israel is the most serious player in this region, because other players like Russia and the Americans are coming from the outside. We are part of the Middle East and we are reliable partners. I think they understand this.
“The real division in the Middle East isn’t between Jews, Muslims and Christians, but between radical and moderate people,” Liberman
stated. •