The statement sent shockwaves through the Israeli political world and sparked a flurry of responses, reflecting the taboo broken by a prominent figure in the Israeli military and political sphere. On Tuesday, May 20, Yair Golan, 63, head of the left-wing opposition and former deputy military chief of staff, called out the army and government in an unusually direct statement on a public radio channel: "A sane country doesn't engage in fighting against civilians, doesn't kill babies as a hobby and doesn't set for itself the goals of expelling a population," said the president of the Democrats. His party, formed in 2024 from the merger of the Israeli Labor Party and Meretz, two historic pillars of the Zionist left, holds four seats in the Knesset.

"Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations – like South Africa once was," said Golan, who gained national renown for his heroism on October 7, 2023. The retired major general, who remains a reservist, had grabbed his rifle and helped rescue survivors of the massacre carried out that day by Hamas (1,200 killed and 250 taken hostage).

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