As Yisrael Beitenu Party Chairman Avigdor Liberman enters the Defense Ministry this week, his declarations regarding the Palestinians will be put to the test of reality. Liberman has previously argued that Israel must depose Hamas rule in Gaza and even made this a condition for Yisrael Beitenu joining the Netanyahu government after the last election in March 2015.

On April 16, Liberman declared at a cultural event in Beersheba that if he were defense minister he would put a condition to senior Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh: “You can hold me to my word,” he told the interviewer. “If I were defense minister, I would give Mr. Haniyeh 48 hours. Either return the bodies [of Israeli fallen soldiers Hadar Goldin and Oron Shaul] and the citizens [Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayyad] or you die.”

With this militant declaration, Liberman proved that he totally doesn’t understand the balance of power in Hamas, and he doesn't understand that Haniyeh, despite his senior status in the movement, is not able to stand up to its military wing. Hamas, by the way, recommended this week that Liberman study the Israeli State Comptroller’s Report regarding the conduct of the government and the Israel Defense Forces during the 2014 Operation Protective Edge in Gaza.

In the past, Liberman also didn’t hesitate to declare what he thinks about the Palestinian Authority (PA) and its leader, President Mahmoud Abbas. “He’s not a partner, and you can’t trust him,” Liberman said in 2015. As operational steps he suggested stopping the transfer of funds to the PA (customs revenues) and rescinding the VIP travel documents allowing senior PA officials to enter Israel.