Democrats Party chairman Yair Golan expressed strong opposition to the war in Gaza and made outrageous remarks in an interview on Tuesday with Kan Reshet Bet radio.
"A sane country doesn't kill babies as a hobby," said Golan. "Israel is on its way to being a pariah, a South Africa once was, if it doesn't return to sanity."
He also stated that "a sane country doesn't fight a war against civilians, it doesn't aim to expel a population."
According to Golan, "This government is full of people who have no connection to Judaism. Vengeful types, lacking sense, morals, and the ability to manage a country during an emergency. This endangers our very existence."
Golan's remarks were met with condemnation from across Israel's political spectrum.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strongly condemned Yair Golan's "reckless incitement against our heroic soldiers and the State of Israel. The IDF is the most moral army in the world, and our soldiers are fighting in a battle for our very existence.
He added: "Golan, who has encouraged refusal to serve and previously compared Israel to the Nazis while in uniform, has now reached a new low by claiming that Israel 'kills babies as a hobby.'
"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 allies echo the most despicable antisemitic blood libels against IDF soldiers and the State of Israel. There is no limit to this moral decay."
Opposition leader Yair Lapid (Yesh Atid) commented on Golan's remarks without mentioning who made them: "Our soldiers are heroes and protect our lives. The statement that they kill babies as a hobby is mistaken and a gift to our enemies. I back the IDF and its soldiers and condemn the statement."
Israeli President Isaac Herzog condemned the comments: "Our daughters and sons are now at the front, defending us—the people, the country. They’ve left behind their hobbies, their families, their livelihoods, and their lives. Severe and false slander against IDF soldiers is a red line. Our soldiers are among the most moral in the world, and when they fight with utmost dedication to protect the nation and bring back the hostages, this is not a hobby."
National Unity Party Chairman Benny Gantz called on Golan to retract and apologize to IDF soldiers for his "extreme and false statements. IDF soldiers do not 'kill babies' as a hobby. These words are not only outrageous, false, and extreme but also endanger the freedom of our heroic soldiers in the face of international law.
"The State of Israel has been waging a just war since its establishment, doing so in accordance with international rules and the highest moral values. No one knows this better than Golan, who was Deputy Chief of Staff. Retract and apologize, Yair, it’s not too late."
Minister of Defense Israel Katz condemned Golan's statements: "The one who in the past compared Israeli society to the Nazi regime and now slanders and defames Israel and the IDF during a war must be rejected from public life."
