Lieberman says he quit as defense minister eight years ago over cash for Hamas

Avigdor Lieberman, the leader of the Yisrael Beytenu party, marked eight years since his resignation as Israel's defense minister with a post on X in which he accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of having decided to send suitcases of dollars to Hamas in order to buy quiet. In the Hebrew-language post, Lieberman wrote that he stepped down because of that decision, describing the approach as a policy of surrender that he refused to be part of, even at the cost of giving up one of the most important posts in the country.

Lieberman linked that policy directly to the Hamas-led massacre of 7 October, writing that Israel paid a terrible price for it. He also said that a state commission of inquiry will soon be established to examine the failures and decisions that led to the attack, and that he will formally become chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee on Monday. These are his own statements; no other organisation's reporting on them was available for this article, and Netanyahu's response, if any, has not been reported.

What Lieberman claimed

The core of the post is an accusation about Netanyahu's handling of Hamas, the Islamist movement that has ruled the Gaza Strip. Lieberman framed the money as a payment intended to keep the border quiet, and he presented his own departure from the Defense Ministry as a refusal to go along with it. The post does not give further detail on the transfers, such as amounts, the route by which the money travelled or who supplied it, and it does not include documents or other evidence. It is an argument made by a political opponent of the prime minister, and it should be read as such.

Lieberman also wrote that in his new role he will act on the same principles that guided him when he resigned, putting Israel's security and the good of the state ahead of every other consideration.

The defense minister's role

In Israel the defense minister is a senior cabinet member who oversees the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the wider defense establishment. The post is usually counted alongside the prime ministership and the finance and foreign ministries as one of the most powerful in government, which is the weight Lieberman was drawing on when he described the resignation as a personal sacrifice.

A state commission of inquiry

A state commission of inquiry is the most senior form of official investigation available under Israeli law. It is set up by government decision, but its members are chosen by the president of the Supreme Court, and it has powers to summon witnesses and demand documents. Such commissions can make findings about the conduct of individual officials. Calls for one to examine the failures surrounding 7 October have been a recurring demand in Israeli politics. Lieberman wrote that such a commission will be established soon and that it will ensure those responsible are held to account, but the post does not say when, by whom or under what terms of reference.

The Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee

The Knesset is Israel's parliament. Its Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is regarded as among its most influential committees: it oversees the security services and the military, reviews defense matters and holds closed-door sessions on sensitive subjects. Its chair is therefore an important parliamentary voice on security policy. According to Lieberman, he will formally take up that chairmanship on Monday.

What the post does not say

• No evidence or detail is offered for the claim that Netanyahu decided to send cash to Hamas, and there is no reported response from Netanyahu or his office.
• Lieberman's statement that a state commission of inquiry will soon be set up is not accompanied by any timetable, decision or named body responsible for establishing it.
• His appointment as chair of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee is reported here only on his own word; no independent confirmation was available.