Liberman: Netanyahu’s party planning ‘brutal violence,’ ‘chaos’ at polls

Israel Beiteinu party head Avigdor Liberman accused the Likud party of hatching a plan to sew confusion at polling stations and disqualify votes in the upcoming September 17 elections.

By World Israel News Staff

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Israel Beiteinu party, claimed on Saturday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party planned to create disturbances at the polls during Israel’s elections on September 17.

Specifically, Liberman said his party “received information from Likud headquarters that there are instructions in places where Israel Beiteinu is strong to increase the staff and engage in brutal violence, create brawls, create chaos, create a situation which will disqualify votes [and] create controversy,” Arutz Sheva reported.

In a statement posted to its Facebook page, Likud responded, “No one in Likud is acting or will act with violence. There is no such directive. Liberman is lying because he is under pressure and understands that he is going to lose,” The Times of Israel reported.

Liberman issued the accusations during an interview with Israel’s Channel 12, claiming that Likud seeks to disrupt voting at stations where his party anticipates high levels of support.

While Liberman did not implicate Netanyahu by name, he maintained that high-level party officials were involved.

Despite predictions of a dismal result for Liberman in the last round of elections in April, the Russian immigrant emerged as the surprise kingmaker who ultimately was seen as the cause of the deadlock which prevented Netanyahu from forming a governing coalition.

While Liberman formerly served as defense minister under Netanyahu, the two have become bitter rivals with Liberman criticizing Netanyahu’s handling of terrorists in the Gaza Strip and their divergent positions on Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, enlistment in the army.

In the Channel 12 interview on Saturday, Liberman also took aim at Netanyahu for his role in the transfer of most of the city of Hebron to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel’s controversial disengagement from Gaza, which paved the way for the Hamas terror group to seize control of the territory in a bloody coup in which it expelled its PA rivals.

Liberman also criticized Netanyahu for permitting Qatar to furnish Hamas with millions of dollars in aid.