Liberman: Bennett wants to give citizenship to thousands of Palestinians

Education Minister Naftali Bennett wants to give Israeli citizenship to “tens of thousands” of Palestinians, Defense Minster Avigdor Liberman claimed on Tuesday.He spoke with reporters during a tour of the Karnei Shomron settlement in which the Yisrael Beytenu leader touted his record a right-wing leader and took potshots as his rival Bennett, who heads the Bayit Yehudi party.Among other things Liberman spoke against Bennett’s well know plan to annex Area C to sovereign Israel, including the Palestinians that live there, which could number up to 300,000.“I live in Nokdim [a West Bank settlement] in the Judean Dessert and he lives in Raanana [a city outside of Tel Aviv],” Liberman said.Bennett has decided to destroy the right wing government and has already opened his elections campaign, Liberman said.“I suggest he stick with education, but he is apparently interested neither in education or security, so he has turned to politics. I prefer to stick with security,” he said.The fight between the two ministers, whose parties compete over votes on the Right, returned last week when Bennett said that Liberman's Gaza policies were a failure and were endangering residents of the south. Liberman took to the airwaves to defend himself and attacked Bennett in radio interviews Tuesday morning."Bennett has blamed me for everything but global warming and the failures of the Barcelona and Hapoel Beersheba soccer teams," Liberman told Army Radio. "He is ready to sacrifice both our security and our education system, just to get one more mandate for his party."Liberman said that Bennett was acting as if his election campaign had already begun. The next election is set for November 2019, but there has been speculation that Netanyahu will advance the election following the return of the Knesset on October 15th from its extended summer and holiday recess.Bennett responded by releasing a statement with further attacks on Liberman. "I expect Liberman to attack Hamas and not me," Bennett said. "Liberman's policies against Hamas are weak and leftist. He is pulling the entire government leftward, while Hamas displays more and more chutzpa day-by-day."Bennett reiterated his demand that he has been making for months to shoot anyone who launches an incendiary balloon from the Gaza Strip, and treat them like terrorists and not innocent children.Opposition Yesh Atid MK Ofer Shelach condemned the Bennett-Liberman exchange as "irresponsible.""Israel has never had a more irresponsible and loose-tongued cabinet than the current one," Shelach said according to a statement released by his office. "The education minister is attacking the defense minister, leaks follow one on the other, and all of this under the direction of the prime minister, who simply doesn't care."