Blood libel’: Yair Golan under fire for Gaza comments
Israeli officials across the political divides lashed out at opposition Knesset member Yair Golan on Tuesday after he said Israel was killing children in Gaza “as a hobby.”
Yair Golan, leader of the Democrats party, speaking at a Tel Aviv University conference on Feb. 25, 2025. Photo by Gideon Markowicz/TPS-IL
Golan, who leads The Democrats, touched off the firestorm while interviewed on Israel’s Channel 2.
“Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country,” Golan said. “And a sane country does not fight against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not give itself the aim of expelling populations.”
The backlash was immediate and fierce. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned Golan’s remarks as “wild incitement,” calling them a “new low” and accusing Golan of echoing “contemptible antisemitic blood libels.” Netanyahu defended the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as “the most moral army in the world,” fighting for the nation’s survival.
President Isaac Herzog also rebuked Golan, saying soldiers “left their hobbies behind” to defend Israel and that “false slander about IDF soldiers is a red line.”
In a statement released by the Israel Defence Forces, Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir emphasised that Israeli forces act “with determination and morality” and in accordance with international law. He denounced any comment “that casts doubt on the values of IDF operations.”
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar slammed Golan’s “blood libel against the State of Israel and its army,” insisting that the comments will “add fuel to the fire of antisemitism in the world.”
Members of the opposition also distanced themselves. Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said, “Our fighters are heroes,” adding that Golan’s claim was “a gift to our enemies.” Benny Gantz, chair of National Unity and a former IDF chief of staff, demanded that Golan apologise for an “outrageous, false, and extreme” statement that “endangers” Israeli troops. And former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said that “the one who murders babies is Hamas and only Hamas.”
Speaking to Radio North, MK Efrat Reitan of The Democrats also chided her party leader.
“I disagree with his words and give full support to the soldiers and commanders,” Reitan said. “I give unequivocal support to all our soldiers and all our commanders in the IDF. Our sons and daughters are raised on the values of morality and humanity, and our army, accompanied by legal advisors, operates according to Israeli and international law. No one kills people as a hobby – neither people nor babies – and we need to be careful.”
At least 1,180 people were killed, and 252 Israelis and foreigners were taken hostage in Hamas’s attacks on Israeli communities near the Gaza border on October 7. Of the 58 remaining hostages, 36 are believed to be dead.
