Yisrael Beytenu party chief Avigdor Liberman suggested Wednesday that Jordan take over control of parts of the West Bank, drawing criticism from a number of right-wing politicians including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

In an interview with the right-wing B’Sheva podcast, the hawkish, opposition-aligned Liberman proposed transferring security and administrative responsibility for Areas A and B of the West Bank to Jordan, noting that the Palestinian Authority “has gone bankrupt.”

“You have to reach an understanding with the Jordanians that they will manage Judea and Samaria. Let them take security and administrative responsibility. You can’t have a vacuum,” Liberman said, referring to the West Bank by its biblical name.

Asked whether he trusted Jordan to take on such a role, Liberman said Amman has “no choice,” adding that it could either deploy its military or establish forces under Jordanian command: “Ultimately, the Palestinian issue is much more acute for Jordan than for the State of Israel.”

Liberman, who himself lives in the settlement of Nokdim southeast of Jerusalem, initially referred to Areas B and C during the podcast, but later clarified that he meant Areas A and B, which are currently administered by the Palestinian Authority for civil matters. The PA also maintains security control in Area A, while Israel retains overall security control in Area B. The remaining 60 percent of the territory, Area C, is controlled by Israel in both civil and security affairs.

During his speech Tuesday to the UN General Assembly, Jordan’s King Abdullah II harshly criticized Israeli policies in the West Bank: “What was once a creeping process has exploded into something far more aggressive,” he said, pointing to “settler........

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