Opposition lawmaker Golan says his Israel 'killing babies as a hobby' comment aimed at Israeli government, not IDF

Yair Golan, chairman of the Israeli opposition Democrats party and a retired IDF general, is facing backlash for his recent controversial claim that Israel is “killing babies as a hobby.” He later clarified that his remark was directed at the Netanyahu government's Gaza policy, not at the IDF.

“I said this morning that we are a sane country that does not kill children. When ministers in this government celebrate the death and starvation of children, we must say so. I was referring solely to the most failed government in Israel’s history – not to the IDF. Our mission is to ensure that Israel remains a sane country that does not kill children either as a hobby or as a policy,” Golan stated. 

He continued by controversially equating the current Israeli government with the genocidal terrorist organization Hamas. 

“A government that says that it is possible to abandon hostages and that children should be starved is a government that sounds like a Hamas spokesman. A government that talks about an atomic bomb in Gaza is not a Jewish government, and it is certainly not Zionist,” he argued, adding that the Israeli military “is my home and it is my heart.”

Golan specifically criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the hawkish ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich. 

“Neither [Bezalel] Smotrich nor [Itamar] Ben Gvir, who are [military service] evaders, and certainly not Netanyahu, will teach me what combat ethics are, and what it means to protect the IDF. Therefore, I am not willing to remain silent when an irresponsible government harms my army. Those who truly hold the IDF dear to their hearts…must stand up courageously against the government,” Golan claimed.

The opposition party leader further accused the Netanyahu government of transforming a “justified and necessary” war into “a war without a security or national purpose,” claiming that “what we are seeing now in Gaza is not a maneuver to release hostages because it was possible long ago to release all the hostages in one comprehensive deal and return them home.”

However, Golan did not address the fact that both the Biden and Trump administrations have repeatedly blasted Hamas for its refusal to release the remaining Israeli hostages and disarm. 

Israeli politicians across the political spectrum have strongly condemned Golan’s inflammatory statement, which is perceived internationally as directed towards the Israeli military’s actions in Gaza, reinforcing the false accusations of “genocide” in Gaza. Israeli President Isaac Herzog who usually avoids getting involved in daily politics, criticized Golan’s comments. 

“Serious and false slander about IDF soldiers is a red line. Our soldiers are among the most moral in the world, and when they fight fiercely to protect the people and return the kidnapped – this is not a hobby,” Herzog stated. 

While clarifying his remarks, Golan did not retract them and argued that he is “not frightened by the poison machine,” nor “by the bullying” or “the attempt to terrorize anyone who dares to speak the truth.”

The retired IDF general further stated that the purpose of the current IDF military operation in Gaza is “not a campaign to topple Hamas,” criticizing the Netanyahu government for its unwillingness to form an alternative Gaza administration “with the assistance of the moderate Sunnis, as a regional project that strengthens Israel’s position and security.”