Right & left politicians unite to pillory ‘Democrats’ leader Yair Golan for saying Israel ‘kills babies for a hobby’

With Israel facing increased criticism for its new offensive and the lack of humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, the party chairman of “The Democrats,” Yair Golan, drew rare unanimous condemnation for incendiary remarks criticizing the war.

Speaking to Kan Reshet Bet Radio, the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF said, “Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state… like the South Africa of old – if it does not return to behaving like a sane country.”

“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies for a hobby, and does not set goals involving the expulsion of populations.”

The far-left leader, whose party in some recent polls became the strongest force in the opposition, blamed the government, which he said is “filled with people who have nothing whatsoever to do with Judaism – Kahanist types, lacking wisdom, morality, and the ability to manage a state during an emergency. This is dangerous to our very existence.”

יאיר גולן, יו"ר הדמוקרטים: "הממשלה הזו מלאה באנשים שבינם לבין היהדות אין דבר וחצי דבר. טיפוסים נקמניים, חסרי בינה, מוסר ויכולת ניהול של מדינה בעת חירום" >>> https://t.co/52iQQzcGIe#הבוקרהזה @golan_aryeh pic.twitter.com/Dt3TOxkaNL

— כאן חדשות | רשת ב (@ReshetBet) May 20, 2025

These comments drew a highly rare near-unanimous condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum, and even caused President Isaac Herzog, who usually doesn’t comment on daily politics, to speak out.

Herzog pointed out that Israel’s sons and daughters “left their hobbies behind” to protect the people on the frontlines of the war. “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,” he said.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Golan’s “wild incitement against our heroic soldiers,” while bringing up previous controversies about Golan calling to refuse IDF service amid the judicial reform and comparing Israel to Germany in the 1930s.

“While we are waging a multi-front war and are leading complex diplomatic efforts to free our hostages and defeat Hamas, Golan and his friends on the radical Left are echoing the most contemptible antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel,” Netanyahu said.

Golan’s statement was quickly widely shared on Arabic-language social media channels as proof of Israel’s alleged war crimes in Gaza.

Within two hours, almost every notable political leader in the country had condemned Golan’s remarks, including leaders of the ultra-Orthodox parties who are currently fighting to prevent Haredim from being enlisted in the IDF, as well as the opposition heads.

An exception of particular interest were the leaders of the Arab parties in the Knesset.

Coalition members called Golan a “terrorist,” demanded that he be investigated for his statements, or be expelled from the Knesset.

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who is currently trying to stem the tide of diplomatic backlash against Israel due to the Gaza War, said that “Yair Golan's blood libel against the State of Israel and its army – won’t be forgiven.”

“What Golan said will certainly add fuel to the fire of anti-Semitism in the world. And this at a time when Israel is fighting for its life against a coalition that is working to destroy it.”

The leader of the ultra-Orthodox Shas Party, Aryeh Deri, also criticized Golan’s comments as a “terrible blood libel against IDF soldiers.”

“I call on the leaders of the opposition, Avigdor Liberman and Benny Gantz, to unequivocally disavow Yair Golan and make it clear to the public that under no circumstances will they form a government with him.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) noted that Israel’s fighters “are heroes” while pointing out that a claim that they kill babies is “a gift to our enemies.”

National Unity chairman Benny Gantz demanded that Golan should “retract and apologize” to the soldiers for his “outrageous, false, and extreme” statement, which he says “endangers the freedom of our heroic fighters” to operate in Gaza.

“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,” said Yisrael Beiteinu chairman Avigdor Liberman, while former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who is widely expected to run in the coming elections, emphasized that “the one who murders babies is Hamas and only Hamas.”

Golan received support from his faction colleagues, with MK Gilad Kariv claiming that the remarks were not targeted at the IDF but “against senior ministers in the Israeli government who preach war crimes day after day.”

Golan himself later clarified that he meant only to attack the government, not the soldiers: “The meaning of my words was clear: this war is the realization of the fantasies of Ben Gvir and Smotrich. And if we allow them to realize them, we will become a divided state.”

“IDF fighters are heroes, government ministers are corrupt. The IDF is ethical, and the people are upright, the government is crooked. The war must be ended, the hostages returned, and Israel restored,” he added.