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Avigdor Liberman, leader of Israel’s Yisrael Beiteinu opposition party, said Friday that the country’s international standing had reached an “unprecedented low” and warned that European trade sanctions could trigger a “real economic collapse”.
Liberman made the remarks in a post on “X”, commenting on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to the UN General Assembly in New York, according to the source of the report.
“Israel’s standing in the world has reached an unprecedented low,” Liberman said.
He said Israel had benefited for years from the United States’ veto at the UN Security Council, adding that he believed the veto would remain available while Donald Trump was president. However, Liberman warned that the situation could change under a future Republican or Democratic administration.
Warning over EU sanctions
Liberman also criticised Israel’s relations with the United Kingdom, saying the country had been without an ambassador in London for a year. He attributed the situation to what he called “intrigues in the Prime Minister’s Office”.
“Sanctions on trade between Israel and the EU could bring about a genuine economic collapse,” he said.
In September 2025, the European Commission proposed suspending some trade privileges granted to Israel under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. The move would have subjected Israeli imports to tariffs instead of preferential treatment.
The commission said the proposal was linked to what it described as violations by the Israeli government of provisions concerning respect for human rights. The proposal required approval from EU member states but did not secure the majority needed for adoption.
The EU has also sanctioned extremist Israeli settlers and organisations linked to them over violations against Palestinians in the West Bank. The measures include asset freezes and travel bans.
In May 2026, the EU added three individuals and four Israeli entities to its sanctions lists. In September, it said the measures covered a total of 12 individuals and nine entities.
Call for a change in leadership
Commenting on Netanyahu’s speech to the UN General Assembly, Liberman said the prime minister and Israel had become “a pariah and a burden on the Western world”.
Netanyahu addressed the assembly on Thursday in New York before a largely empty hall, after delegations from several countries walked out in protest against Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip and its continuing actions in the West Bank, Lebanon and Syria. Large demonstrations were also held across the city.
Liberman called for a change in Israel’s leadership ahead of elections scheduled for October.
“On Oct. 27, the leadership that is leading Israel toward a diplomatic, security, and economic catastrophe must be replaced,” he said.
“The next government that we establish will restore Israel’s standing in the United States and around the world,” Liberman added.
His comments came 33 days before the Israeli vote, amid intense domestic debate over the policies of Netanyahu’s government. Opposition figures criticised the UN speech, while ministers and members of the governing coalition praised it.
War in Gaza
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant in November 2024 over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip.
More than 73,000 Palestinians have been killed and around 175,000 injured since Israel’s war in Gaza began in October 2023, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
