Liberman: Netanyahu leaving north unprotetected ‘solely out of political considerations’

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of leaving the north unprotected “solely out of political considerations,” stating that the premier twice rejected his plans to protect the north during his time as defense and finance ministers.

“Today, while millions of citizens are running to shelters several times a day… the Knesset will discuss the ‘most important’ thing for the State of Israel: expanding the powers of the rabbinical courts,” Liberman tells reporters ahead of his party’s weekly faction meeting, referring to a bill which would give the religious courts power to arbitrate civil disputes, including over child custody.

“This is absolute madness and moral bankruptcy. I don’t understand how the coalition leaders manage to sleep at night,” he says.

“Billions were found for the [draft] evaders, but several hundred million for the shelters were not found,” he continues, referencing a recent state comptroller report that some three million Israelis don’t have access to bomb shelters. “I really hope that in the end, the residents of the north will remember this conduct of the current government on election day as well.”

Asked about the possibility of the United States pulling out of the war with Iran, Liberman insists that “regardless of the United States’s announcement, regardless of Iran’s announcement, Israel should define the goal as clearly as possible: Toppling the ayatollah regime.”

“If the war stops, I’m not sure that the regime’s leaders will work to teach tolerance to the future generation of Iran,” he quips. “Therefore, from our perspective, overthrowing the regime is the solution and we must do it. Preferably in partnership with a superpower like the United States. But even if we have to do it alone, that’s our goal, because otherwise we’ll go back for more and more rounds [of fighting].”