Liberman warns against Smotrich, saying his statements not simply those of a ‘delusional hilltop youth’

Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman slams far-right MK Bezalel Smotrich for saying he wants the Israeli justice system to adhere to religious Jewish law.

Smotrich, an MK from the Union of Right-Wing Parties (URWP), is gunning to be named interim justice minister after Netanyahu fired Ayelet Shaked yesterday.

Earlier today, Smotrich drew ire for saying Israel should aspire to run itself as “in the days of King David,” saying his party “wants to restore the Torah justice system.”

“Listen to what Smotrich, a candidate for the justice minister post, has been saying,” Liberman tells party members at a faction meeting according to reports in Hebrew-language media.

“These are no longer comments coming from a delusional hilltop youth, but a statement of intent,” he says

Ultra-nationalist activists known as the “hilltop youth” are often accused of stoking violence against Palestinians and Israeli security forces in West Bank settlements. Smotrich is a hardline, pro-settlement MK who has previously defended the actions of West Bank extremists.