ALBAWABA- In an unprecedented rebuke from within Israel's own political ranks, Yair Golan, head of the Israeli opposition Democratic Party and former IDF general, accused the Netanyahu government of turning the killing of children into a "hobby" and warned that Israel is fast becoming a pariah state.
Speaking in an interview with Israel's Kan Bet radio, Golan stated bluntly: “What is happening in Gaza is not a military operation to return hostages or dismantle Hamas.
This is a war on civilians.” His remarks were echoed in Yedioth Ahronoth, where he said: “A rational state does not kill children for sport, does not wage war on civilians, and does not pursue policies of population displacement.”
He further criticized the current Israeli leadership, calling it “a government full of vengeful people who lack both morality and the ability to manage a country in crisis.”
Golan’s comments triggered immediate backlash from Israeli officials across the political spectrum. Benny Gantz, leader of the National Unity Party, called for Golan to retract and apologize.
Defense Minister Yisrael Katz accused Golan of spreading “false accusations that tarnish Israel and the IDF,” demanding his removal from public life.
Other high-profile figures, including former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and Education Minister Yoav Kisch, joined the condemnation.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lashed out on social media, accusing Golan of “wild incitement against our heroic soldiers,” and labeled his statements as “anti-Semitic blood libels.”
The prime minister defended the IDF as “the most moral army in the world,” insisting that Israel is “fighting for its existence” and decrying Golan’s comparison of Israel to Nazi Germany as “a new moral low.”
These developments come amid mounting international pressure on Israel to halt its renewed military operations in Gaza. European leaders are also escalating their stance. At a meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels on Tuesday, Britain, France, and Canada reportedly discussed suspending trade relations with Israel should it continue its offensive and obstruct humanitarian aid.
Golan, unfazed by the backlash, stood by his words. “Stop fearing the government,” he said. “Silence now means abandoning our army, the kidnapped, and the state itself.”
