He Shouldn’t Have Said It, But I Understand

Last week, Yair Golan, head of the Israeli Democrats party and a decorated IDF major general, made a statement that immediately drew condemnation from across the Israeli political spectrum. His words were incendiary:

“A sane state does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby, and does not set goals for itself such as the expulsion of a population.”

This statement was dumb. And irresponsible.

Dumb, because Golan has paid a heavy price before for his unfiltered rhetoric. He seems to have learned little from that experience.

Irresponsible, because in the midst of a national crisis, his words hand a propaganda gift to Prime Minister Netanyahu and his allies. Instead of being forced to answer for their catastrophic failures, from October 7th to the lack of a state commission of inquiry, the government can now reframe the debate along tired left-right lines. Once again, the public conversation is dragged into the shallow trenches of partisan identity, just as many center-right voters are seeking something different.

But here’s the harder truth: Yair Golan’s core concerns are not wrong. And while his language was reckless, his admonitions demand our attention. They should prompt introspection, not just about what he said, but why he felt compelled to say it.

Golan’s statement was not an accusation. It was a warning. It was a desperate attempt to jolt the public from a dangerous moral and political slumber. He sees something changing in the Israeli psyche, a quiet redefinition of what is tolerable, what is normal, what is justified. Norms are eroding. Principles being abandoned. Red lines being crossed with alarming speed and silence.

Golan sees an Israeli government still intact after the worst intelligence failure in the country’s history, with no resignations, no public inquiry, and no accountability. He sees corruption scandals creeping into the prime minister’s inner circle, with unsettling ties to enemy regimes and glaring conflicts of interest. He sees unchecked settler violence against Arab civilians, and unprecedented police force turned on Israeli citizens. He sees a government sustaining itself by prolonging war and stoking internal divisions.

Most urgently, he sees a deliberate and strategic reshaping of Israeli democracy: attacks on the judiciary, manipulation of the media ecosystem, and the rise of extremists once deemed fringe, but now holding real executive powers.

To Golan, this isn’t just political backsliding. It’s a transformation of Israel’s national character. A slow but visible shift in what it means to be Israeli.

The “new Israeli” he sees emerging does not reflect the founding ethos of the state he devoted his lie to defend. That terrifies him. Yes, invoking South Africa was hyperbolic, perhaps even outrageous. But Golan’s intent was to shake the public. To force uncomfortable questions: What are we defending? And who are we becoming in the process?

It’s easy, and politically convenient, to dismiss Golan as a radical leftist. It’s not true. He isn’t tweeting from academia or shouting from the sidelines. He has fought for Israel his entire life. I find it reassuring that he still sees enough of himself in today’s Israel to keep fighting.

Yair Golan’s words were offensive. But letting outrage drown out the message is a cop-out. He is the example of the moral courage we will need to rediscover our true selves.

Golan believes in the Israel of Ben-Gurion, not Ben Gvir. He believes we can protect the Jewish character of the state without losing its moral soul. He believes in a democracy that thrives on justice, accountability, and shared national values.

He shouldn’t have said what he said, but I understand. He’s sounding an alarm. Crude as it may have been, sometimes the loudest voices are the ones who see the fire first.