Lieberman: Netanyahu stopped me targeting Hamas leaders

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped his then Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman from assassinating Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in the Gaza Strip, Channel 12 reported.

In an interview with the Israeli channel Lieberman said that an agreement he had signed with Netanyahu’s Likud party included plans to overthrow Hamas in the besieged Gaza Strip. Adding that the prime minister did everything he could to avoid following through with this agreement.

Lieberman said Netanyahu granted Hamas leaders immunity, leaving them “unafraid”.

On Netanyahu’s recent threats to launch a massive military operation against the Gaza Strip to topple Hamas, Lieberman said: “These promises we heard from Netanyahu in early 2009, and since then they have not been implemented.”

The Yisrael Beiteinu leader, who is expected to be the post-election kingmaker next week, has been working to “grab centrist pro-settler votes” from Netanyahu’s Likud, the Jerusalem Post reported.

READ: Parliament bars Netanyahu’s plan for cameras at polling stations