Netanyahu a ‘burden to Trump,' dismantled US-Israel ties, Liberman tells ‘Post’ - interview

“Trump wants to distance himself from him (Netanyahu). The relationship has become a burden, and it is already hurting him in the upcoming US midterm elections,” Liberman said.

Liberman has served in key security and diplomatic positions in previous governments, including as defense minister, foreign minister, and finance minister. He has been in the political sphere for over three decades.

The Yisrael Beytenu leader has been open about his aim of becoming prime minister, and is a fierce critic of Netanyahu and his government.

His party is a core part of the opposition bloc seeking to replace Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, which are set to take place no later than October 27.

Regarding Netanyahu’s relationship with Trump, Liberman told the Post that the US president has “understood that he had given too much,” and was being harmed by Netanyahu “both electorally and politically.”

“This is also a severe blow to Israel’s standing in American public opinion,” Liberman added.

“There has never been such a negative attitude. The more Gaza declines, the more Israel’s image declines as well.”

“And they are doing nothing about it. They have managed to deteriorate both the security situation and the diplomatic situation,” he said.

When asked whether he would be willing to say no to Trump if he were prime minister, Liberman did not hesitate.

“I would,” he said. “I’ve been involved in the leadership of this country for about 20 years, and Israel has already weathered some of its toughest disputes with the United States.”

“With all due respect, we need to act. We are still a sovereign country. We are not a banana republic.”

Liberman noted that Netanyahu once could “stand his ground” and had done so in the past with former US presidents, such as Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.

He explained that Netanyahu was focused on canceling the criminal trial and the ICC arrest warrant against him, as well as maintaining his coalition bloc.

Liberman stated that Netanyahu’s bloc was “an anti-Zionist coalition.”

He slammed the contentious legislation being advanced by the haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties with government backing, which critics argue encourages draft evasion amid the IDF’s severe manpower shortage.

Liberman said that Netanyahu “is willing to sacrifice everything. This is truly a coalition that is willing to sacrifice soldiers, the IDF, and Israeli society as a whole, only to preserve the bloc and remain in power.”

Liberman added that, if he were prime minister, the October 7 attacks would have never happened. He warned that Israel’s current security standing was worse than on the eve of the Hamas massacre in 2023.

Speaking on his own plans for his party ahead of the elections, Liberman explained that he was taking a hardline stance toward haredi conscription to the IDF, in which legislation would be passed to ensure that there would be no exemptions, and that those who do evade service would be blocked from receiving any financial aid from the state.

Liberman said he was against Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot’s approach to drafting haredim.

Eisenkot’s plan includes granting exemptions to 3% of each annual haredi cohort to study Torah, similar to exemptions given to outstanding musicians and athletes. Notably, the Yashar Party has become the largest party in the opposition bloc in recent polls.

Liberman said that he “greatly appreciates” Eisenkot.

“Obviously, his worldview and mine are different, but I respect him,” he said. “He is a man of values.”

When asked if he was in favor of having Eisenkot lead the opposition bloc, Liberman responded that his first priority was to replace the government. Secondly, Liberman said that he wanted to become prime minister himself.

“First, we must replace the government. The question of who will be prime minister and who receives which role should be left for stage two,” he added.

When asked if he was considering running in a political alliance in the elections, Liberman said that option was not on the table.

Yisrael Beytenu holds a hawkish security stance and advocates for expanding Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It also strongly advocates for a separation of religion and state.

Liberman explained that there was growing support for his party from different sectors in the country.

“There are many people in hi-tech. I also see some of the Likud movement shifting,” he said of those moving to support his party.

When asked whether the opposition bloc could form a government without relying on Arab or haredi parties, Liberman said he believed it was possible.

He noted that a majority of the TV polling was only showing a small sample of the population, and that the opposition bloc had far more support than what was being presented.

He said that, according to his party’s own in-depth surveys, the opposition bloc was currently polling at around 62-63 mandates and that Yisrael Beytenu was expected to gain over 13 seats.

Liberman sharply criticized Blue and White Party leader MK Benny Gantz, who has indicated that he would be willing to sit in a government with Netanyahu.

He said that Gantz was “seeking revenge” on the entire opposition bloc amid his recent calls to form a “broad Zionist government.”

Liberman said that Netanyahu’s separate calls to form a “broad national government” were “a manipulation.”

“He does not want to deal with the real issues. He does not want the security failures of October 7 to be discussed,” Liberman said of Netanyahu.

“He does not even define what he means by a ‘broad national government.’ There already was such a government, the one formed with Benny Gantz. We remember how that ended.”

“Clearly, this is all a show. The only thing that interests Netanyahu is how he survives and how he maintains his position.”

“Right now, he [Netanyahu]  is playing politics. I am optimistic that, in the end, we will win,” Liberman said.