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May 21, 2025
Golan spoke irresponsibly but not incorrectly
Yair Golan, head of the Democratim party in Knesset thought not (yet?) a Knesset member himself, acted very irresponsibly yesterday. Not because of what he said, but because of how he said it.
Golan said, "Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations – 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.”
Golan never said anything about the IDF and didnt accuse them of killing babies, but was in context talking about the government and what they are trying to do. After his statement created an uproar with everyone upset at him accusing the IDF of killing babies as a hobby and blaming him for antisemitism around the world, Golan held a press conference in which he clarified his statement stressing he is speaking against the government and not against the IDF.
Why is he speaking against the government like this? Because Ministers Ben Gvir and Smotritch, both senior Cabinet ministers, have been talking about annihilating Gaza, wiping it out, killing all the residents, etc. Minister Wasserlauf recently said again that an atom bomb should be dropped on Gaza. Moshe Feiglin, a former Likudnik and one who aspires to make a grand return, said explicitly we have to kill all the babies in Gaza. Other MKs in the government coalition have been making similar statements, and right wing reporters who hold influence in the government have as well.
I get they are attacking Golan because he is an easy target and an easy deflection from their own issues. Just like I wouldn't accuse someone who reported a crime of making a chilul hashem (I am thinking of an accusation commonly made against those who report sexual abuse crimes and the like) but the perpetrator of the crime is the one who made the chilul hashem, so Golan isnt guilty of claiming the government or IDF is killing babies, but the ministers calling for it are.
So why was Golan acting irresponsibly?
Yair Golan holds an important position. His star is rising in the face of a weak Opposition. He has been raising the Labor and Meretz parties (jointly making up what is now known as the Democratim) from about 4 seats to polling at around 15, and what could be a force in a future Knesset or even government. He himself is also a former Deputy Chief of Staff and a hero for his actions on October 7 going south and saving lives, making his voice an important one that carries weight.
So what was irresponsible? He should have chosen his words better. He should have spoken clearly and unequivocally, if he felt it was necessary to speak up, without leaving room for misinterpretation. There should have been no need for calling a press conference to clarify what he said - he should have said something like that clearly in the first place.
If you dont think Israel should wipe out everyone in Gaza including babies, you should be upset at the members of the government who continue to campaign for that. And if you agree with Ministers Smotritch and Ben Gvir and with the others who have been speaking similarly, why are you upset at Golan for saying that this is what the government seems to want to do?
Golan spoke irresponsibly but not incorrectly
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Labels:
Gaza,
government,
Hamas,
Yair Golan
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No, he's an idiot.
ReplyDeleteYou are forgetting how the rest of the world looks at Israel. Until now, when Ben Gvir and Smotrich opened their mouths it was easy to push again. They're a couple of thugs. They aren't involved in running the war. Just ignore them.
Now a respected general has announced that Israelis are baby killers. He can clarify his stupid remarks all he wants. The world media has run the headline "Israeli general says Israelis are baby killers" and it's done. And yes, people will think it's the army no matter what he says because it's not Bibi or any other MK that's wandering the streets of Rafiah looking for innocent children to shoot. They're going to take "Israeli army kills babies" from this and he should've realize this. It means Israeli soldiers not being able to travel abroad for fear of arrest for being baby killers. It means Israelis who have a service record worrying about that happening to them even if they served yeears ago. It has done HUGE damage.
So why did he do it? Look, I get it. He ran south on October 7 to help. The Left leadership of the army is patriotic but only to the part of Israel it relates to. They will defend Israel militarily because they want Israel to exist after they've gotten rid of the Right.
And they want to get rid of the Right since they don't think anyone but the Left should run the country. If that means running a blood libel for the international press so that there's pressure on the government to collapse, they'll do it. For the Left, Bibi is a bigger enemy than Hamas. They can live with the latter, they can't with the former.
Garnel, Exactly!
DeleteRafi, you're making me nervous, you seem to be slipping to the left lately, stop before it's too late :-) 😉
sorry, the cult of personality on the right with their lies and stupidities, and their inability to win a war according to the terms they are setting so that the war never has to end and they wont need to face the nation is driving me leftward. The people on the left are lousy politicians but I cant stand what is going on in the Right at this time
DeleteOh, so you admit it.
DeleteNo one told you you have to become a leftist to oppose (what you think are) problems with the current government. You're allowed to think for yourself, and you're allowed to oppose Bibi without going insane in the way Golan and his crowd have done.
That you have chosen to do so is telling.
admit what? I dont consider myself a leftist. I am a member of the Likud who has become disenfranchised with Netanyahu. I always had mixed opinions, some right, even far right, and some center, and even some left, but on the main issues I am center to right. This government irks me and I find myself disagreeing with them and getting angry at them more than I used to. I find them to be petty, irresponsible, and even dangerous. That doesnt make me a leftist, I dont think. I wish we had a better government. And I have said many times, I dont think the alternative to Netanyahu is Lapid but someone else on the Right and it is the right wing parties that should have stopped supporting him. I hope someone else on the right declares to run for PM in the next election, whenever that might be
DeleteCalling Yair Golan’s comment “irresponsible but not incorrect” misses the point. His statement about Israel “killing babies for a hobby” is indefensible—no matter the intended target. That kind of rhetoric, especially from someone of his stature, crosses a clear line and fuels dangerous narratives.
DeleteYes, some ministers have made reckless and disturbing remarks. They deserve criticism. But that doesn’t excuse Golan’s language. Critique of the government must be sharp, but it must also be responsible.
Your frustration with the current government is understandable—but it seems to have clouded your judgment. When that frustration leads to excusing language this extreme, I'm sorry to say it’s a sign your moral compass is starting to drift.
I didnt excuse the language, I called it irresponsible, and in essence no worse than similar language used by ministers and cabinet members (among others)
DeleteOh, you have *got* to be f***in' kidding me. This is Yair Golan, a man who previously compared the IDF to Nazis. Of *course* he meant that the IDF is killing babies. Why? Well, politics, sure, but that doesn't mean he didn't mean exactly what he said.
ReplyDeleteThat Labour didn't fire him immediately shows you that it's Meretz running that show
DeleteWeird, considering that Labor has seats and Meretz doesn't. But they're all the same now.
DeleteYair Golan came out of Meretz, not Labor, though they merged so it doesnt matter
Delete