Liberman Slams Trump Netanyahu Ties, Rejects Minority Govt

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman accused Donald Trump of treating Benjamin Netanyahu as a puppet on Monday, the latest liberman netanyahu flashpoint ahead of Israel’s elections.

In an interview with 103FM, Liberman pushed back against a public statement of support for Netanyahu that Trump issued on Sunday. “I understand that President Trump finds it very convenient to run Israel through ‘Bibi the puppet,'” Liberman said.

“Decisions Are for the Citizens of Israel”

Liberman said Trump’s public remarks about restraining Israeli military actions revealed how the American president views the relationship.

“We are seeing things here that we have never seen before. Trump says, ‘He won’t attack in Beirut because I told him not to,’ and he says, ‘Bibi will do everything I tell him to do,'” Liberman claimed.

“I appreciate President Trump. He has genuinely done a great deal for the citizens of Israel, but the decision is a decision for the citizens of Israel,” he added.

Minority Government Ruled Out

Liberman also addressed the opposition bloc’s path to power, reiterating his rejection of a minority government under any circumstances — even as a temporary arrangement.

His stance makes him a central obstacle to efforts by the opposition bloc, which includes Eisenkot’s Yashar, Naftali Bennett’s B’Yachad, Yair Golan’s The Democrats, and Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu, to agree on a prime ministerial candidate.

Israel’s elections must take place no later than October 27, and the four opposition parties have signed an agreement pledging to cooperate before the vote — but have yet to settle on who would lead a replacement government.

Liberman also weighed in on the controversy surrounding Channel 14 presenter Yinon Magal’s remarks about former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot during the same interview.

*Source: The Jerusalem Post*