US will recognize Palestinian state soon, says Avigdor Liberman

‘Israeli’ opposition leader Avigdor Liberman has claimed that the United States is expected to recognize a Palestinian state within approximately two years, after President Donald Trump’s current term concludes.

The Yisrael Beytenu chairman made the remarks at Reichman University, saying that the recognition would cover all of the West Bank, the Jordan Valley, Gaza, and east Jerusalem.

Liberman stated he had spoken earlier in the week with officials from the US State Department and National Security Council, saying “everyone, across the board, supports recognition of a Palestinian state.”

He added with “200% certainty” that the Americans would lead a United Nations Security Council resolution making the Palestinians “a state in every sense of the word, a full member of the UN.” He described the outcome as “something that will be almost impossible to reverse.”

The former defense minister accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of being aware of the anticipated move and of allowing it to proceed.

“The Netanyahu family’s approach is that if Bibi is not prime minister, then let this country burn,” Liberman said, claiming that by the time recognition occurs, Netanyahu “will no longer be prime minister.”

He challenged Netanyahu to sue him over the assertion, pledging to waive parliamentary immunity if that happened.

Liberman emphasized that he does not expect recognition while Trump remains in office.

“As long as Trump is in power, I believe there will be no recognition of a Palestinian state,” he said, but urged that “these two years must be utilized to prevent” what he claimed is a “catastrophe”.

He framed the prediction as driven by what he described as ‘Israel’s’ declining standing in American public opinion, which he argued would lead the next US president—regardless of party—to take the step.

In related comments, Liberman warned that Palestinian leadership is preparing for a broader confrontation with ‘Israel’, with the initial stage potentially tied to Palestinian Authority elections expected at the end of November.

He has separately called for dismantling the Palestinian Authority, canceling the Oslo Accords, and establishing an arrangement in which Jordan would manage day-to-day affairs in parts of the West Bank while ‘Israel’ retains security responsibility.
Jordan at the time condemned his comments, and reaffirmed its support of an independent Palestinian state.

No official confirmation of any such US recognition plan has been issued by the State Department, the White House, or Netanyahu’s office in response to Liberman’s claims.

The statements come amid ‘Israel’s’ ongoing political contestation ahead of elections and continued regional tensions.