Latest news with #AvigdorLieberman
Yahoo
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Liberman: Israel has ‘no more than three years' to prepare for next war with Iran
With Iran's nuclear threat growing, Lieberman demands fixed defense funding and criticizes Gaza aid as weakening Israeli security. Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Lieberman warned the Knesset on Monday that Israel had 'a maximum of three years' before it would face another, tougher round of fighting with Iran and urged the coalition to rewrite the state budget so that defense spending is fixed at 8 percent of gross domestic product. Speaking first from the Knesset rostrum and later at his faction meeting, the former defense minister argued that Tehran was 'determined to exact revenge' for the blows it suffered in the recent Israel-Iran exchange and was already rebuilding its damaged nuclear program. 'These are not theoretical threats,' he said. 'The next stage will be more complex and more difficult.' Lieberman called the current budget debate 'madness,' insisting that defense money must be taken out of coalition horse-trading. 'The defense budget must never become a bargaining chip,' he said. He proposed legislation that would lock in the 8 percent GDP figure and prevent future governments from trimming it during coalition negotiations. Turning to the Gaza Strip, Lieberman accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government of prolonging Hamas's survival by authorizing daily humanitarian convoys. 'Hamas is alive, breathing and kicking only because the 'October 7 government' is pumping medicine, fuel and food into Gaza,' he told reporters. Reservists guarding the convoys, he said, complain that they are allowed to fire only warning shots while feeling 'their lives are at risk.' He also charged that reserve engineers were being sent 'to pull down buildings with their bare hands' for lack of bulldozers and modern armored personnel carriers, while hundreds of millions of shekels in humanitarian relief were being transferred 'at the Israeli taxpayer's expense.' Lieberman urged the coalition to strike a deal for the release of the 120 Israelis still held by Hamas. 'If the military pressure has run its course, what are we still doing there?' he asked. Once the hostages are home, Israel should adopt the Lebanon model, he added, noting that the IDF has killed roughly 200 Hezbollah operatives since the November ceasefire on the northern front. 'We will hunt down every terrorist who took part in the October 7 massacre until his last day,' he vowed. The veteran MK insisted that the cabinet must 'wake up and change every national priority' ahead of the coming confrontation with Iran. His warning comes as the coalition faces internal wrangling over the 2026 budget and amid renewed debate over the cost of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Lieberman's proposal would require reopening the entire state budget—an unpopular move inside the coalition—but the opposition party leader said any delay would leave Israel exposed. 'Iran's nuclear program was hit hard,' he acknowledged, 'but it was not destroyed and can be rebuilt. That is what the regime is working on with all its might.'
The National
26-06-2025
- Politics
- The National
Abu Shabab back in spotlight as Israel's proxy in Gaza's war
As Israel's war with Iran is on hold, its main front has shifted back to Gaza, where it has started to work closely with the Abu Shabab gang. Analysts and Israeli media claim the group comprises murderers, drug dealers and former ISIS members. Gaza residents and human rights groups have accused the Yasser Abu Shabab Popular Forces of crimes from looting of aid to firing at, kidnapping and beating Palestinians who seek it. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed at aid distribution points by the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) since its inception on May 27, including 93 by Israeli gunfire as they approached UN aid lorries, Thameen Al Kheetan, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, said in a statement this week. Former Israeli defence minister Avigdor Lieberman said Israel was arming a group of "criminals and felons" in Gaza. Mohammad Shehada, Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations, said the Abu Shabab group is doing Israel's "dirty work". In exchange for keeping its members out of prison providing them with weapons, Israel wants the group to carry out reconnaissance and intelligence work, Mr Shehada said. "Before, they'd first send drones, then they'd send the sniffer dogs, then they'd send soldiers," he said. "Now they've changed the hierarchy by sending those gangs, and then the drones and then the dogs, and then the soldiers." Dozens of people seeking aid at GHF sites have gone missing, failing to return home, their families have reported to rights groups and authorities in Gaza. Prominent Palestinian investigative journalist Younis Tirawi has documented at least one instance of the Abu Shabab gang luring a civilian with the promise of aid before kidnapping and interrogating them. Anti-Hamas Following Mr Lieberman's claim, Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the move to support armed groups such as Abu Shabab aimed to "save the lives" of Israeli soldiers and oppose Hamas. The Abu Shabab gang is being presented as an alternative to Hamas, but Palestinian and Israeli experts say that is simply not possible. Michael Milshtein, head of the Palestinian Studies Forum at Tel Aviv University's Moche Dayan Centre, said the gang could not match Hamas, whose influence is entrenched across Gaza. "They cannot be an alternative to Hamas all over the Strip because their influence is very limited to the eastern part of Rafah – they don't have an impact in Gaza city and Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun, etc," Mr Milshtein told The National. Similarly, Mr Shehada highlighted the disparity in the number of members in Hamas and Abu Shabab that disproves any claim that it could stand up to Hamas. "Israel is trying to whitewash running those proxies by saying that they are creating them as rivals to Hamas, but that's not what's happening," he said. "They're no match and cannot overpower Hamas's 30,000 or 40,000 members." Abu Shabab maintains it protecting aid rather than looting it, although an article in The New York Times cited the group's leader, Yasser Abu Shabab admitting to stealing aid. "Yasser Abu Shabab cannot frame himself as the 'Robin Hood' of Gaza," Mr Milshtein said. The gang has a "problematic reputation" in Palestinian circles, which calls it "Jeish Lahd" – a reference to the Christian militia backed by Israel in southern Lebanon in the 1970s. In fact, the Israeli support, as well as the group's own damaging actions, could lend credibility to Hamas rather than weaken it, Mr Shehada argued. "It lends credence to Hamas as defenders of Gaza ... and as the only thing standing between them and total societal collapse." Mr Shehada has been analysing the group's members. "Virtually every name I've come across is either someone on the run from authorities for murder, collaborating with Israel, a drug dealer, or a member of ISIS." At least two Abu Shabab members are known to have been affiliated with ISIS, Israeli media has reported. One is Issam Nabahin, who Israeli news outlet Ynet claims launched attacks on the Egyptian army in Sinai as an ISIS member. He was jailed by Hamas in Gaza but was released with other detainees after the war started on October 7, 2023, over fears that Israel would bomb prisons. Laying siege The deputy leader of the Yasser Abu Shabab Popular Forces is Ghassan Al Dheini, the brother of alleged ISIS member Walid Al Dheini – who was killed by Hamas – and who was reportedly involved in the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in 2006, Ynet reported. Israel's relationship with the gang began after Israel took over the southern area of Rafah in May 2024, occupying and laying siege to it, Mr Milshtein said. In internal memos, Mr Shehada said, the UN had identified Abu Shabab as stealing aid under Israeli military protection. More publicly, Jonathan Whittall, who heads the UN's Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Palestine, once again rejected claims by Israel that Hamas was diverting aid. "This doesn't hold up to scrutiny," he stressed last month. Instead, Mr Whittall explained the theft is being carried out by "criminal gangs, under the watch of Israeli forces", who were allowed to operate in proximity to the Karam Abu Salem border crossing, which leads into Rafah. Mr Shehada said Israel had allowed armed groups to loot aid, even while stationed in near its soldiers. 'This allows Israel to externalise blame and say that they're letting food in, that it is Hamas looting the aid and that the UN is not doing a good enough job to protect its own aid convoys.' This atmosphere of insecurity has provided a pretext for the founding of the US-Israeli Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), despite worldwide protest and condemnation of the move that sidelines the UN altogether. At distribution points operated by the GHF, Israeli army and private contractors, dozens of Palestinians have been killed or injured. Another Israeli outlet, i24, interviewed Mr Al Dheini after claiming the Israeli army had intervened in protecting Abu Shabab against Hamas in an incident on Monday. He said the group will continue to target Hamas as the 'only way to ensure the safety and security of people in the strip'. The gang aims to establish a 'government" in Gaza's south where it currently operates. "Israel has been trying since October 7 to create proxies in Gaza to carry out Israel's dirty tactics while giving Netanyahu plausible deniability for atrocities," Mr Shehada said. But they could find very few collaborators. After failing with tribal and community leaders, businesspeople and company owners, they resorted to people on the run from authorities for crimes that could send them to jail when the war ends. "So Netanyahu found a perfect match for himself. He and those gang leaders understand, if the war is over, they'll end up in prison for drug dealing, ISIS membership, murders, theft, etc."
Mint
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Israeli lawmakers react to ceasefire with Iran: ‘Leaving a wounded lion behind'
Israeli lawmakers reacted to the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, which went into effect on Tuesday, potentially concluding a 12-day war. Some Israeli lawmakers praised Israel's military and intelligence achievements in Iran, and others noted that now was the time to end Israel's war in Gaza. Avigdor Lieberman, former Defence Minister and chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, warned that 'there is nothing more dangerous than leaving a wounded lion behind.' While praising Israel's 'stunning military achievements,' he cautioned that 'instead of an unconditional surrender, the world is entering a difficult and exhausting negotiation process.' Lieberman expressed concern that the ceasefire could lead to a renewed conflict, as the Iranian regime shows no intention of halting Iran's nuclear ambitions, ballistic missile development, or support for terrorism. He stressed that without a clear and decisive agreement, 'a ceasefire without a clear and unambiguous agreement will lead us to a new war… in two or three years, but in much worse conditions for Israel'. Yair Lapid, the opposition leader, emphasised that 'this was now the moment to close that front' in Gaza. He added, 'To bring the hostages home, to end the war. Israel needs to start rebuilding.' Lapid called for an urgent focus on resolving the conflict and beginning the process of recovery. Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, stated that Israel's campaign against Iran 'ended with a clear security achievement.' In a post on X, he urged that the ceasefire agreement be 'closely examined,' questioning, 'does it prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, and what sanctions, including the resumption of fighting, will be imposed if it is violated.' Golan also called for an end to Israel's war in Gaza, stressing the need to 'return all the hostages, end the war in Gaza, and stop once and for all the coup that threatens to make Israel weak, divided, and vulnerable.' Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right finance minister, said Israel has achieved 'a crushing victory in the campaign against Iran that will be recorded gloriously in the pages of the history of the State of Israel.' Smotrich said an 'immediate existential threat' has been removed. 'Now with all our strength to Gaza,' he said, 'to destroy Hamas and return our hostages.' The Middle East has been a tinderbox since October 2023, when Hamas fighters from Gaza entered Israel, killed hundreds and took dozens more hostage. Israel responded with an invasion of the Palestinian enclave to root out Hamas from tunnels and other fortifications that have left over 55,000 people dead, much of Gaza in ruins and its population of 2.1 million at risk of famine, according to the World Health Organisation. While the world's attention has been on Israel's fighting with Iran, dozens of people have been killed by Israeli forces in Gaza as they scramble to get the limited food aid allowed into the territory, including 21 in the past day, Palestinians say. A group advocating for the return of Israeli hostages held in Gaza has called for the ceasefire between Israel and Iran to be expanded to include the war-torn enclave. 'Those who can achieve a ceasefire with Iran can also end the war in Gaza,' the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement Tuesday. The forum said the ceasefire 'must expand to include Gaza' and called on the government 'to engage in urgent negotiations that will bring home all the hostages and end the war.' 'After 12 days and nights during which the people of Israel could not sleep because of Iran, we can finally go back to not sleeping because of the hostages,' the forum said.
Irish Times
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
Netanyahu's ruling party gets popularity boost in wake of Iran conflict
The popularity of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu 's Likud party has improved since Israel began its conflict with Iran last week. A poll published on Friday by the Ma'ariv newspaper found that if an election were to be held, Mr Netanyahu's ruling Likud party would register 27 seats in the Israeli Knesset, up from 24 in a similar poll last week. This is the party's highest showing since the Hamas invasion of southern Israel on October 7th 2023. Likud holds 32 seats in the current parliament . Yisrael Beiteinu, a rival right-wing party headed by former defence minister Avigdor Lieberman, is the second most popular party with 19 seats. The poll predicts the right-wing and religious parties that make up Mr Netanyahu's coalition would fail to clinch a majority, winning 51 of the 120 seats in the Knesset parliament. READ MORE However, in the event that former prime minister Naftali Bennett runs as the head of a new right-wing party in the next election – which must be held by October 2026 – the poll shows Likud dropping to 24 seats, one more than Mr Bennett's party. Under such a scenario, the current coalition parties would drop to 46 members in the next Knesset. [ Israel-Iran war: Gulf states scramble to secure diplomatic solution Opens in new window ] A small majority for the opposition parties at the next election might not be so bad for Mr Netanyahu. Most of the mainstream Zionist parties have indicated that they will not sit in a future coalition with two Arab parties, which together consistently poll 10 seats. If no bloc formed a working majority, Mr Netanyahu would continue as transitional prime minister. Friday's poll also showed that 46 per cent of Israelis believe that removing the threat of nuclear weapons and/or ballistic missiles should be the main aim of the week-old war against Iran. Some 43 per cent cited regime change. Other polls indicate that 77-83 per cent of Israelis support the war against Iran.
Reuters
18-06-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Angst over Gaza set aside as Netanyahu's critics back him over Iran
JERUSALEM, June 18 (Reuters) - Israel's military assault on Iran has united much of the nation after a period of bitter divisions over the war in Gaza, transforming the political landscape overnight as even Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's foes close ranks behind him. Most Israelis support using force to destroy Iran's nuclear programme, polling shows, despite retaliatory Iranian missile strikes that have killed 24 civilians and put normal life on hold. "Netanyahu took a really difficult decision. On the topic of Iran, right now he is doing the right thing," Avigdor Lieberman, a legislator and hawkish former defence minister who fell out with Netanyahu and quit his government in 2018, told Reuters. Netanyahu would ultimately be judged on whether Israel succeeded at removing Iran's nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities, but for now things were going well, he said. On a different section of the political spectrum, centrist former defence minister Benny Gantz, who walked out of Netanyahu's war cabinet a year ago over disagreements about Gaza, was similarly supportive. "On the Iranian issue, there is no right or left. There is right or wrong. And we are right," he told broadcaster CNN. Israel says Iran seeks to build nuclear weapons that could hit its territory, which Tehran has always denied. In six days and nights of attacks, Israel has killed senior Iranian military leaders and damaged military and nuclear sites, as well as killing at least 224 civilians, according to an Iranian toll. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's demand for unconditional surrender and said Israel had made a "huge mistake" in starting the war. But in Israel, support for Netanyahu's decision to attack was paying political dividends for him. The main opposition parties in the Knesset, the Israeli parliament, on Monday voted against a motion of no confidence in the government. Just a week ago, and only 24 hours before the first strikes on Iran, those same parties voted for the Knesset to dissolve itself, which had it succeeded would have been a first step towards early elections that polls suggest Netanyahu would lose. "There are those who say Netanyahu chose this time to attack because of the political situation but that doesn't interest me. I think this is the right decision," said Meirav Cohen, a member of the Knesset from the centrist Yesh Atid party, which leads the official opposition in the chamber. Netanyahu's political rivals and a large proportion of the public accuse him of prolonging the war in Gaza to stay in office and avoid a corruption trial, to the detriment of the hostages still held by Hamas and of Israel's moral standing. The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the security failures that allowed it to happen. Israel's subsequent military assault on Gaza has killed nearly 55,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza's health ministry, while displacing nearly the entire population of 2.3 million and causing a hunger crisis. Netanyahu has been unpopular throughout the war, and polls suggest he would not be able to put together a ruling coalition if elections were held now. But on Iran, 83% of Jewish Israelis support his decision to attack, according to a poll by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem conducted on Sunday and Monday. "In contrast to the ongoing war in Gaza, which is perceived by many of us as a cynical move designed to serve political purposes, the Iranian story is far above any dispute," wrote columnist Ben Caspit, a fierce Netanyahu critic, in the newspaper Ma'ariv. Netanyahu, often called the great survivor of Israeli politics after bouncing back from numerous crises and ruthlessly crushing a long list of adversaries, seems to be in an equally conciliatory mood. Appearing on Tuesday night on Channel 14, a television station that strongly supports him, he was asked about longtime critics now lauding him over Iran. "I don't view it as personal. They are rising to the occasion. There really is such a thing. I wouldn't be cynical about it," he said. "This is not a political matter. It is an existential matter." However, the Hebrew University poll revealed a profound fault line between Israel's Jewish majority and its Arab minority, who make up about 20% of the population. Only 12% of them support the assault on Iran. Aida Touma-Suleiman, an Arab member of the Knesset from the left-wing Hadash party, told Reuters the Iran operation was aggressive and reckless. "We think this is another disaster that is being inflicted on two people, the Iranian people and the Israeli people," she said.
