Minister Israel Katz instructs IDF not to call up Democrat Party Chairman after Golan accused IDF soldiers of being baby killers.
Defense Minister Israel Katz has instructed the IDF not to call up Democrat Party Chairman Yair Golan for reserve duty again, following his accusations against IDF soldiers. Golan will also be banned from entering IDF bases.
Katz stated, “In light of Yair Golan’s behavior when he spun a blood libel against IDF soldiers with the reckless and false accusation that they ‘kill Palestinian babies as a hobby’ – I have decided to instruct the IDF not to call up Yair Golan for reserve duty any longer and to prohibit him from wearing the IDF uniform and entering IDF bases.”
Katz expressed concern about the implications of the statements on the international arena: “Golan’s serious remarks will be used by Israel’s enemies to continue persecuting IDF soldiers around the world and petitioning international courts and tribunals against them in order to arrest them and deprive them of their freedom, and it is not possible for me, as the Minister of Defense, responsible for the safety of IDF soldiers, to put them on the agenda.”
During an interview on Tuesday with Kan Reshet Bet radio, Golan stated, “A sane country doesn’t kill babies as a hobby. 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 have drawn strong condemnation from members of the coalition, with calls for him to retract his statements and issue an apology to IDF soldiers and their families. Golan, however, has stood firm, maintaining that his criticism targets the government’s policies and not the military.
