Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman’s (Yisrael Beytenu) recent comments, suggesting that Israel restrict construction in Judea and Samaria to the major “settlement blocs”, drew sharp criticism from not only the Israeli right, but apparently also from the incoming Trump administration.
Earlier this week Liberman surprised coalition partners, declaring that Israel should renew the understanding forged between President Bush and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whereby new construction would only be authorized inside “settlement blocs” – and would be frozen outside of them.
"We will not build outside the blocs," he explained. "I prefer to build in Alon Shvut, Efrat, Maaleh Adumim and Ariel, where 80% of the residents are."
The Defense Minister also commented on the Regulation Law, which recently passed the initial vote in the Knesset, saying that the bill, even if passed, would not save Amona from the pending demolition order.
"I am not sure that this law is the best solution. It doesn't [even] apply to Amona. Once I entered the Defense Ministry I spent a lot of meetings [on the issue of] Amona. And my conclusion was clear. Anyone who says that it is possible to keep [Amona in its] current location is dealing in lies and delusions, and doing a disservice to the good people who have lived there for many years."
Liberman’s comments drew the ire of Likud leaders, who said his recent comments had revealed his true colors.
Now, however, sources close to President-elect Donald Trump say Trump’s inner circle was just as surprised – and dismayed – by Liberman’s comments as his critics in Israel.
According to a report by NRG, a Trump associate said the Trump administration, now in its formative stages, felt that the public comments on Israel-US relationship were inappropriate, given that no consultation with the new president or his representatives had taken place.
The source also said that Trump’s inner circle was stunned by the Defense Minister’s apparent sharp turn to the left despite the election of a more conservative American government, one with close ties to the Jewish state.
One individual close to the president-elect reportedly said that Liberman appeared to be trying to “move to the left of Trump” on Israeli internal affairs, wondering if the Defense Minister believes the American administration should be more hawkish than Israel’s own government.
Some in the Trump camp suggested that Israelis had yet to internalize the meaning of Trump’s victory, and its implications for the Jewish state, adding that the Trump administration would not be opposed to Israeli proposals to annex large swaths of Judea and Samaria – if the Israeli government would make such a request.