Liberman proposes Jordan control parts of West Bank, drawing right-wing rebuke

Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman suggested Wednesday that Jordan take over control of parts of the West Bank, drawing criticism from a number of right-wing politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In an interview with the right-wing B’Sheva podcast, the hawkish, opposition-aligned Liberman proposed transferring security and administrative responsibility for Areas A and B of the West Bank to Jordan, noting that the Palestinian Authority “has gone bankrupt.”

“You have to reach an understanding with the Jordanians that they will manage Judea and Samaria. Let them take security and administrative responsibility. You can’t have a vacuum,” Liberman said, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.

Asked whether he trusted Jordan to take on such a role, Liberman said Amman has “no choice,” adding that it could either deploy its military or establish forces under Jordanian command: “Ultimately, the Palestinian issue is much more acute for Jordan than for the State of Israel.”

Liberman, who himself lives in the settlement of Nokdim southeast of Jerusalem, initially referred to Areas B and C during the podcast, but later clarified that he meant Areas A and B, which are currently administered by the Palestinian Authority for civil matters. The PA also maintains security control in Area A, while Israel retains overall security control in Area B. The remaining 60 percent of the territory, Area C, is controlled by Israel in both civil and security affairs.

During his speech Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, Jordan’s King Abdullah II harshly criticized Israeli policies in the West Bank: “What was once a creeping process has exploded into something far more aggressive,” he said, pointing to “settler violence,” “land seizures,” settlement expansion and the “forcible transfer” of Palestinians. He also slammed Israel’s “expansionist appetite,” issuing a thinly veiled warning over its military presence in southern Syria.

Netanyahu on Wednesday denounced Liberman’s suggestion, accusing the hawkish Yisrael Beytenu chief — who previously served as defense minister under Netanyahu — of joining the political left.

“Liberman, I knew that you were on the left ever since you established a government with Mansour Abbas,” Netanyahu wrote on X, referring to the head of the Islamist Ra’am party. “I know you’re on the left since you’ll establish a government with [Gadi] Eisenkot, Yair Golan, [Naftali] Bennett and the Arab parties. But I never believed you would suggest today that the Jordanian army rule over territories in the Land of Israel. Retract your statement immediately!”

Following the criticism, Liberman pointed out that “the only one who declared his willingness to establish a Palestinian state is Benjamin Netanyahu,” referring to the premier’s 2009 speech at Bar-Ilan University.

Liberman repeated his position that the Palestinian Authority, which has nominal control over the West Bank, “is a terrorist organization… therefore, the State of Israel must create territorial continuity between all Area C territories and maintain complete control over them.”

However, he said, Israel should not be responsible for civilian governance of Palestinians in cities such as Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem.

“In order to prevent a vacuum that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other terrorists would enter, an agreement must be reached with Jordan for it to administer Areas A and B — an Israeli-Jordanian confederation,” he added.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Liberman of seeking to relinquish Israel’s security control in the West Bank.

“Listen to Liberman: Someone who presents himself as a right-winger is proposing that we give up our security responsibility in Judea and Samaria and hand it over to the Jordanians,” Smotrich said. “Liberman wants to return Israel to the days of the Jordanian Legion. We must not let that happen.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir also lashed out at Liberman, saying: “Liberman is confused again: Judea and Samaria isn’t a delivery that can be transferred to Jordan. This isn’t Wolt,” referring to the popular food delivery app. “These are parts of our homeland.”

“The cat is out of the bag,” Ben Gvir added. “Liberman is simply dangerous for Israel!”

Shas leader Aryeh Deri also attacked the proposal, accusing Liberman of having “forgotten what it means to be right-wing” and describing the plan as “Disengagement II in Judea and Samaria,” a reference to Israel’s controversial 2005 disengagement from Gaza, when it unilaterally withdrew its military and evacuated all Israeli settlements in the Strip.