Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman set off a political storm on Wednesday morning. He proposed that Jordan take on security and administrative responsibility for parts of Judea and Samaria.
Speaking on the "B'Sheva" podcast, Liberman argued that the Palestinian Authority is "bankrupt" and that another party must be found to manage the territory. "You have to reach an understanding here with the Jordanians," he said, adding that they would take on security and administrative responsibility so that no vacuum is left.
Asked whether he trusts Jordan and whether this means Jordanian troops entering Judea and Samaria, Liberman said he did not know whether Jordan would bring in its own army or set up battalions under Jordanian command.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded sharply. He said Liberman, who presents himself as right-wing, was proposing that Israel give up its security responsibility in Judea and Samaria and hand it to the Jordanians. "Liberman wants to return Israel to the days of the Jordanian Legion," Smotrich wrote. "This must not be allowed to happen."
Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli called the proposal "a hallucination from the land of hallucinations." He warned that bringing the Jordanian army into the hills of Judea and Samaria would be dangerous. Chikli argued that Jordan has a Palestinian majority and a very weak government, and he raised the possibility of an Islamist or nationalist government taking power in Amman. He also said regional developments involving Turkey and the new regime in Syria could affect Jordan's future. He concluded that Liberman must not come near any security post.
The proposal is not entirely new for Liberman. In December 2023 he called for declaring the Oslo Accords a failure and floated a long-term confederation in Judea and Samaria, limited to Area A, saying the Jordanians would need to take responsibility.
