Israeli Defense Minister Yisrael Katz has issued a directive barring Yair Golan, a former IDF deputy chief of staff and current leader of the Democrats Party, from serving in the IDF reserves and entering military bases, following Golan’s comments accusing IDF soldiers of “killing babies as a hobby” in Gaza. Katz called the remarks a “blood libel” against the IDF, saying they could harm Israel’s international standing and be exploited by adversaries in legal actions against IDF personnel.

In a statement issued on Friday, Katz condemned Golan’s accusations as “reckless and false,” asserting that they undermined the morale of IDF soldiers and endangered national unity during a critical multi-front war. He further called for legislation that would allow the defense minister to strip reserve officers of their rank for such conduct, declaring, “There is no place for people like Golan in public life.”

Golan’s remarks were made during a radio interview on Tuesday with Kan Reshet Bet, where he said, “A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set goals involving the expulsion of populations.” The comments sparked widespread outrage, with coalition and opposition leaders, including Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, and Opposition Leader Yair Lapid, accusing Golan of slandering the IDF and fueling antisemitism.

In response to the backlash and Katz’s decision to bar him from reserve duty, Golan defended his statements, clarifying that his criticism was aimed at the government, not the IDF. He said that he last wore his IDF uniform on October 7, 2023, when he independently drove to the front lines to rescue civilians fleeing the Hamas-led massacre at the Nova music festival.

Golan described the government’s failure to prevent the attack as a “horrific security failure,” insisting that his actions that day demonstrated his commitment to Israel’s defense.

Golan, a retired major general and former Meretz MK, has long been a polarizing figure. His 2016 Holocaust Remembrance Day speech, where he likened societal trends in Israel to “disturbing processes” in pre-World War II Europe, cost him a potential appointment as IDF chief of staff in 2018.

Despite this, Golan earned widespread praise for his heroism on October 7, 2023, when he rescued numerous Nova music festivalgoers hiding from Hamas terrorists, relying on his intimate knowledge of the terrain and WhatsApp location messages from survivors.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)