Recent statements by retired Major General Yair Golan, head of the Democratic Party, have sparked significant controversy. In an interview with Israeli radio station Kan Bet, Golan accused Israel of “killing children as a hobby,” conducting “warfare against civilians,” and seeking the “uprooting of populations.” These remarks, seen as severe accusations against the State of Israel and the IDF, have resonated widely, particularly in Arab media and among Palestinian groups and anti-Israel propagandists.
Arab Media: “Internal Testimony of Crimes”
Outlets such as Al-Quds Al-Arabi prominently highlighted Golan’s remarks, referring to him as the “former deputy chief of staff of the occupation army,” emphasizing his senior military background and familiarity with Israeli operations. His comments were presented as internal admissions by a high-ranking Israeli official about crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. Arab commentators have described these statements as “incriminating evidence” and called for prosecuting senior Israeli political and military officials for “genocide and crimes against humanity.”
“In any case, Israelis (not just their government and army) ignore the suffering of the Palestinian people, particularly in Gaza, except for a few isolated voices,” one article stated. Additionally, the prominent Arab newspaper recalled Golan’s previous controversial statements: “It is worth mentioning that before retiring from the army ten years ago, Golan compared the occupation’s crimes in the Palestinian territories occupied in 1967 to events in the 1930s, openly alluding to Nazism.”
The Palestinian terrorist organization Mujahideen Movement stated that Golan’s comments constituted “incriminating evidence” that justifies severe international sanctions against Israel. “Golan’s statements once again confirm that the enemy government is responsible for continuing the brutal war in Gaza and for disrupting all mediation efforts. The reactions from various Zionist parties reveal the collective criminal and fascist mentality dominating the occupying entity, which rejects any criticism of its brutal crimes,” they said.
The Palestinian news agency “Quds,” affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, reported, “Yair Golan, the leader of the Democratic Party in the occupying state, sparked widespread anger among both the government and opposition.” They added that “his remarks follow a series of criticisms by former senior military officials regarding the army’s conduct in Gaza. Analysts interpret these critiques as part of an internal effort to rehabilitate the army’s image amid mounting international pressure and potential prosecution of Israel for war crimes.”
Al-Jazeera highlighted Golan’s statements, noting, “These declarations directly attribute responsibility to Netanyahu, placing him at the heart of accusations regarding committed atrocities.”
“The significance of these statements lies not only in their content but also in their appeal to international accountability, presenting a notable paradox,” Al-Jazeera commented. Ahmad Jabarin, described by Al-Jazeera as an “Israel expert,” added, “It is the Israeli government that calls for displacement and starvation. Whenever accused, it immediately labels such accusations antisemitic, despite these claims being based on actions it openly carries out and publicly acknowledges.”
Jabarin also suggested that such statements gain further significance due to the positions of countries like France, Britain, and Canada, along with recent U.S. actions, concluding, “All this points toward one reality: Israel must wash its hands of Palestinian blood.”
The governmental media office in Gaza responded by referencing “bloody massacres committed by the Israeli occupation army against defenseless civilians in Gaza,” linking these acts to Golan’s statements:
“These massacres align with unprecedented statements by a senior Israeli official, Yair Golan, former deputy chief of staff of the Israeli army, who explicitly admitted Israel ‘wages war against civilians,’ ‘kills children as a hobby,’ and aims for ‘population displacement.’ This represents a clear admission by the Israeli military establishment of ongoing genocide against our Palestinian people. We affirm that this criminal behavior, supported by incitement and hateful rhetoric, exposes the true nature of the occupation as a racist colonial regime openly engaged in organized terror.”
Consequences and Implications
The battle for public perception and Israel’s legitimacy remains a critical front in the Gaza conflict. Arab media reactions demonstrate how Golan’s statements provided fertile ground for constructing a misleading narrative about massacres and genocide. It is no coincidence that Hamas, hostile media, and anti-Israel rights organizations eagerly embraced these statements.
While Israel exerts considerable effort internationally to clarify that its military operations target terrorists rather than civilians, statements like Golan’s suggest systematic policies aimed at civilian deaths. Such claims are not only false but extremely harmful to Israel’s international reputation, potentially affecting political, diplomatic, and legal decisions on the global stage.
Comments of this nature severely undermine Israel’s public diplomacy efforts and reinforce Palestinian propaganda, which often contains antisemitic elements. Statements like Golan’s reinforce a victimhood narrative carefully cultivated by Palestinian propagandists. They see such remarks not merely as internal political critiques but as insider testimony that Israel systematically commits crimes against civilians.
Such statements further facilitate attempts to diplomatically isolate Israel, encourage boycotts, and amplify international pressure. Moreover, they can create divides between Israel and its global supporters, undermining Israel’s narrative and contradicting established facts: that the IDF targets terrorists, not civilians. Additionally, the IDF consistently undertakes extensive precautions, including issuing pre-attack warnings and investing considerable resources to minimize civilian casualties.
The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the movement
