Jordan should take responsibility for public order and the day-to-day lives of Palestinians in Areas A and B of the West Bank, and Israel should retain territorial contiguity and security responsibility, according to Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman.
He unveiled his party’s proposal for the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Sunday.
Yisrael Beytenu is part of the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his coalition in the October election. It has recently been polling at around nine to 10 seats.
“The clock is running out,” Liberman said. “If we do not take the initiative ourselves, we will end up with a Palestinian state under Hamas control throughout Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley, the Gaza Strip, and east Jerusalem, and anyone can imagine the disastrous consequences of such a reality.”
Yisrael Beytenu’s plan also calls for dismantling the Palestinian Authority and canceling the Oslo Accords.
Under the 1990s Oslo Accords between Israel and the PA, the West Bank was divided into three areas: A, B, and C, with Area C under full Israeli control.
About 500,000 Israelis live mainly in Area C, with most settlements considered legal under Israeli law and built on state land through government-approved decisions.
Liberman’s proposal calls for “a serious party, acceptable to the Arab world and the international community,” to take control and responsibility for both Gaza and the West Bank.
Liberman proposes Israeli-Jordanian confederation in Areas A, B
In the West Bank, he proposed establishing an Israeli-Jordanian confederation in Areas A and B.
Jordan would then be responsible for public order through a police force and would manage the day-to-day lives of the Palestinians living there, he said.
The plan still calls for all areas in the West Bank to remain under “Israeli territorial contiguity and security responsibility.”
Liberman criticized the proposal of The Democrats chairman Yair Golan, who is also part of the opposition bloc.
He also criticized Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Smotrich heads the Settlements Administration, which is a Defense Ministry body established in 2023 that manages matters in Judea and Samaria settlements and oversees construction and housing.
Security coordination between Israel and Jordan has remained stable and close, “despite tensions and friction on the diplomatic level,” Liberman said.
“We share a border of more than 300 kilometers with the Jordanians, and cooperation plays a central role in maintaining security and calm,” he said.
This is 'not a wishful-thinking exercise,' Liberman says
Regarding the Gaza Strip, Liberman said there would be “no alternative to the complete elimination of Hamas, both its military and civilian wings, by the IDF.”
After the elimination of Hamas, control of Gaza should be transferred to an external party that will assume responsibility for managing it, he said.
“The framework I am presenting is not a wishful-thinking exercise, but is based on many years of familiarity with the region and with the relevant parties with whom I have spoken, and I am convinced that it can be implemented,” Liberman said.
“I believe that through initiative, determination, and political courage, it is possible to change the reality and shape a better future for generations to come,” he 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 involved in politics for more than three decades.
Yisrael Beytenu maintains a hawkish security stance and advocates for expanding settlements in Judea and Samaria. It also strongly advocates for a separation of religion and state.