Unanimous Condemnation Of Yair Golan’s Vile Diatribe Against IDF Operation

JERUSALEM (VINnews) — The political establishment reacted sharply this morning to the “vile and foolish” remarks made by far-left figure Yair Golan. “It’s unbelievable that this despicable man once served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces,” critics said.

In an interview with Kan Reshet Bet, Yair Golan said:
“A whole country does not conduct warfare against civilians, does not kill babies for fun, and does not make it its goal to expel a population.”

Golan added:
“Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations, like South Africa once was, if it doesn’t return to sanity.”

He went on to express strong opposition to the way the war is being conducted, saying:
“A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not set goals for itself like the expulsion of a population.”

Golan’s words led to unanimous condemnation from the entire political spectrum, with some even calling to strip the former general of his military rank.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded:
“I strongly condemn Yair Golan’s outrageous 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 a battle for our very existence. Golan, who has encouraged draft refusal and, while in uniform, compared Israel to the Nazis, has now reached a new low by claiming that Israel ‘kills babies for fun.'”

He added:
“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-wing colleagues are echoing the vilest antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. There is no limit to the moral decay.”

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar responded that “Yair Golan’s blood libel against the State of Israel and its army will not be forgiven. What he said will undoubtedly fuel the fire of global antisemitism, at a time when Israel is fighting for its life against a coalition bent on its destruction.”

Minister Ofir Sofer said that : “There is no place for people like Golan in Israeli public life. The claim that Israel ‘kills babies for fun’ is a vile lie and a severe insult to the IDF’s combat ethics and to the character of the State of Israel. The State of Israel, through the soldiers of the IDF, is fighting a cruel enemy that burned, slaughtered, and raped elderly people, women, children, and infants. It is unfortunate that some choose to point an accusing finger at their own country in such a difficult hour, while ignoring the harsh reality Israel faces. Yair Golan’s words are an outright lie and a gift to our enemies.”

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir said:
“It seems that Yair Golan has taken Hamas’s spokesperson’s talking points and adopted them as his own. Golan’s only hobby has always been spreading antisemitic blood libels against the State of Israel. Yair, shame on you!”

Defense Minister Israel Katz: “Anyone who compared Israeli society in the past to the Nazi regime and now falsely accuses and slanders the State of Israel and the IDF during wartime must be cast out from public life.

“The accusation made by a senior opposition figure that IDF soldiers are ‘killing babies in Gaza for fun’ is a disgraceful blood libel against IDF soldiers—both regular and reserve—who risk their lives day and night in heroic battles, to return our kidnapped brothers and sisters and to defeat Hamas, which seeks to destroy the State of Israel.
I am proud of our soldiers and fully support them.”

Shas Chairman MK Rabbi Aryeh Deri: “We must not remain silent in the face of this terrible blood libel against IDF soldiers, who are risking their lives against a cruel enemy. I call on opposition leaders Avigdor Lieberman and Benny Gantz to clearly and unequivocally distance themselves from Yair Golan and make it clear to the public that under no circumstances will they form a government with him.”

Even left-wing figures criticized Golan for his statement. The Chairman of the National Unity party, Benny Gantz, called on Golan to retract and to apologize for his “extreme and false statements.” President Yitzchak Herzog, a former head of the Labor party (now headed by Golan) said that:
“Our sons and daughters are now on the front lines. They are defending us — the people, the state. They have left behind their hobbies, their families, their livelihoods, and their lives. Serious and false slander against IDF soldiers is a red line.”

Despite all the criticism, Golan refused to retract his words, stating that “The intent behind my words was clear: this war is the realization of Ben Gvir and Smotrich’s fantasies. If we allow them to carry them out, we will become a pariah state. It’s time we had a backbone of forged steel — we must stand by our values as a Zionist, Jewish, and democratic state. IDF soldiers are heroes; the government ministers are corrupt. The IDF is moral, and the people are upright — the government is crooked. This war must be ended, the hostages returned, and Israel rebuilt.”