Democratic Party Chairman Yair Golan sparked outrage on Tuesday with his controversial comments about Israel’s military campaign in Gaza during an interview on Kan Reshet Bet radio.
“A sane country doesn’t kill babies as a hobby,” Golan declared. “Israel is on its way to being a pariah, a South Africa once was, if it doesn’t return to sanity.”
He further stated, “A sane country doesn’t fight a war against civilians, it doesn’t aim to expel a population.”
Golan leveled fierce criticism against Israel’s current leadership, saying, “This government is full of people who have no connection to Judaism. Vengeful types, lacking sense, morals, and the ability to manage a country during an emergency. This endangers our very existence.”
His remarks drew immediate backlash from across the political landscape.
Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu lashed out at Golan, denouncing his rhetoric as “reckless incitement against our heroic soldiers and the State of Israel. The IDF is the most moral army in the world, and our soldiers are fighting in a battle for our very existence.”
Netanyahu reminded the public of Golan’s past controversial behavior: “Golan, who has encouraged refusal to serve and previously compared Israel to the Nazis while in uniform, has now reached a new low by claiming that Israel ‘kills babies as a hobby.'”
The prime minister went on to say, “While we are conducting a multi-front war and leading complex diplomatic efforts to free our hostages and defeat Hamas, Golan and his radical left allies echo the most despicable antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. There is no limit to this moral decay.”
Opposition leader Yair Lapid responded without naming Golan directly. “Our soldiers are heroes and protect our lives. The statement that they kill babies as a hobby is mistaken and a gift to our enemies. I back the IDF and its soldiers and condemn the statement.”
President Isaac Herzog also weighed in, calling the remarks an unacceptable attack on those risking their lives. “Our daughters and sons are now at the front, defending us—the people, the country. They’ve left behind their hobbies, their families, their livelihoods, and their lives. Severe and false slander against IDF soldiers is a red line. Our soldiers are among the most moral in the world, and when they fight with utmost dedication to protect the nation and bring back the hostages, this is not a hobby.”
Benny Gantz, head of the National Unity Party and a former military chief, urged Golan to take back his words and apologize. “IDF soldiers do not ‘kill babies’ as a hobby. These words are not only outrageous, false, and extreme but also endanger the freedom of our heroic soldiers in the face of international law.”
Gantz stressed the IDF’s long-standing adherence to ethical warfare. “The State of Israel has been waging a just war since its establishment, doing so in accordance with international rules and the highest moral values. No one knows this better than Golan, who was Deputy Chief of Staff. Retract and apologize, Yair, it’s not too late.”
Defense Minister Yisroel Katz condemned Golan in even stronger terms, saying: “The one who in the past compared Israeli society to the Nazi regime and now slanders and defames Israel and the IDF during a war must be rejected from public life.”
{Matzav.com Israel}