The leader of the Democrats – the left-wing alliance of Labor and Meretz – former IDF general Yair Golan sparked outrage Tuesday morning with comments apparently accusing Israel of "killing babies as a hobby."
During an interview on Kan radio, Golan said, "Israel is on its way to becoming an outcast nation among peoples, like South Africa once was – if it doesn't return to behaving like a sane country. And a sane country doesn't wage war against civilians, doesn't kill babies as a hobby, and doesn't set goals of population displacement."
Golan further stated, "This government is full of characters who have nothing whatsoever to do with Judaism, full of vengeful characters, lacking morals and lacking the ability to manage a country during an emergency. And this thing is dangerous to our very existence."
The comments triggered an immediate response from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who strongly rebuked Golan, "I firmly condemn Yair Golan's wild incitement against our heroic soldiers and against 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 continued, "Golan, who encourages refusal to serve and in the past compared Israel to Nazis while in uniform, has now reached a new low by claiming that Israel 'kills babies as a hobby.' While we are managing a multi-front war and leading complex diplomatic efforts to free our hostages and defeat Hamas, Golan and his friends on the radical Left are echoing the most despicable antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. There is no limit to moral decay."
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett responded with a brief but pointed statement, saying, "The one who murders babies is Hamas and only Hamas."
Chairman of the National Unity centrist party Benny Gantz demanded that Golan withdraw his comments and apologize to IDF soldiers, "IDF soldiers do not 'kill babies' as a hobby. These statements are not just outrageous, false and extreme, but they also endanger the freedom of our heroic fighters before international law."
Yisrael Beytenu party chairman, MK Avigdor Liberman, joined the chorus of condemnation, saying, "The IDF is the most moral army in the world, and any such false statement against it harms our soldiers and the security of the state." Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar warned about international repercussions, saying, "What Golan said will certainly fuel the fire of antisemitism in the world."
Minister of Aliyah and Integration Ofir Sofer delivered a particularly harsh rebuke, "The claim that the State of Israel 'kills babies as a hobby' is a reprehensible lie and a severe degradation of the IDF's combat morality and the character of the State of Israel. The State of Israel, through IDF fighters, is fighting a cruel enemy that burned, massacred, and raped the elderly, women, children, and babies."
Sofer added, "I regret that there are those who choose to point an accusing finger at their own country, especially in this difficult time, while ignoring the cruel reality that Israel is dealing with. Yair Golan's words are an absolute lie and a prize for our enemies. People like Golan have no place in Israeli public life."
Minister of Communications Dr. Shlomo Karhi didn't mince words, "Yair Golan is a terrorist. A terrorist in the efforts to achieve the war's goals. A terrorist in the security of IDF fighters. A terrorist in Israeli democracy." Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir was equally harsh, "It seems that Yair Golan took the message sheet from the Hamas spokesperson and adopted it for himself, as Golan's only hobby has always been spreading antisemitic blood libels against the State of Israel. Yair, you should be ashamed!"
In response to the backlash, Democratic party chairman, the former major general defended his remarks, saying "We've already tried Gantz's method of sucking up to Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Ben-Gvir – and it failed. The intention in my remarks was clear: This war is the fulfillment of Ben-Gvir and Smotrich's fantasies. And if we allow them to fulfill them, we will become an outcast state. It's time we had a backbone of tempered steel – we must stand up for our values as a Zionist, Jewish and democratic state. IDF fighters are heroes, government ministers are corrupt. The IDF is moral, and the people are straight while the government is crooked."
Golan concluded, "The war must be ended, the hostages returned, and Israel rehabilitated."
