Avigdor Liberman
Avigdor LibermanMiriam Alster/Flash90

Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman announced Monday his party's virulent opposition to the force-feeding bill which was authorized for legislation by the government on Sunday. 

Initiated by Internal Security Minister Gilad Erdan, the bill would allow prison officials to force-feed security prisoners who go on hunger strikes in order to prevent the terrorists becoming martyrs and triggering riots. 

Speaking at a Yisrael Beytenu faction meeting, Liberman attacked Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's government for "being deterred by threats" instead of actually "deterring the terrorists sitting in prison."

"Whoever wants to sit hungry - he can sit," Liberman defiantly added. 

"This is their life and their responsibility," Liberman continued. "Whoever thinks it's not pleasant for a democratic society should learn what happened to the Irish prisoners in Margaret Thatcher's day. What's good for the birthplace of democracy, England, is good enough for us."

A total of ten Irish nationalist prisoners starved themselves to death in a 1981 hunger strike; throughout the months-long strike, then British Prime Minister Thatcher refused to give concessions to the strikers.

The bill also faced opposition from the leftist Meretz party's chairwoman Zehava Galon who declared the law "immoral," arguing it was “designed to solve a political and image problem for the government. Its purpose is not to ensure the welfare of prisoners."