Yisrael Beytenu head MK Avigdor Liberman said he intends to run for the prime minister of Israel in an interview with 103fm on Sunday.
Liberman was asked in the interview if he would support National Unity MK Gadi Eisenkot as leader, to which he responded that he has “great respect for him, but we are completely different – both in political-security views and in social issues, and he is certainly also comparable to Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz.
“Everyone has a completely different worldview, so I will run based on my own vision and path,” he later clarified.
He also emphasized that he has the credentials for the position. “I have a clear doctrine. I have a proven track record in both security and economic matters. I was the only one who warned – not in hindsight, but in real time – about everything that happened on October 7.”
The Yisrael Beytenu leader then stressed the urgency to bring back the 59 hostages still held by the Hamas terrorist organization and said it was imperative to further negotiate for a hostage deal. He added that the current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is prolonging the process for political reasons.
Criticism of the current sitting prime minister
“The moment Netanyahu finalizes the deal, he will no longer have a government. For him, this issue is what keeps the coalition stable. I believe that based on what we hear from the survivors, every day they remain there, their lives are in danger.”
Liberman criticized Netanyahu’s handling of the hostage crisis, accusing him of stalling for time.
“Any reasonable person understands that Israel’s top priority must be to bring the hostages home. Netanyahu’s pattern of behavior is to stall. Right now, he is buying time,” he added. “From his perspective, there is a budget vote in a week or two, and he wants to get past it. He cannot move without help from his American allies; he constantly looks to them and tries to align his actions with theirs.”
Liberman then went on in the interview to discuss the looming threat of Iran and its nuclear ambitions, saying, “We must stop Iran’s nuclear program. Can Israel exist under the shadow of an Iranian nuclear weapon? There are different answers, but mine is no.”
Liberman’s comments came just days after hinting that he may be willing to defer to Naftali Bennett if the two politicians ran on a joint list.
“We will do everything to bring down the government,” Liberman said on Channel 12 on Thursday, “We have no ego.”
“If we see that running together brings more mandates, we will run together,” he clarified. “If we see that running separately brings more mandates, we will run separately. We have proven, even in the previous government, that we will do whatever is necessary.” When asked who would lead the party, he replied, “There are no questions at all about who is first and who is second; we will know how to solve all the issues.”