Every Friday, Yair Golan spends the day near the Gaza Strip. With dozens of volunteers, the former soldier leaves the outskirts of Tel Aviv at dawn, to visit the mochavs (cooperative farming communities) in southern Israel. The small group comes to help farmers harvest fruit and vegetables.

Since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, there has been a labor shortage. Massively employed on these farms, Palestinian workers are no longer allowed to enter Israeli territory, despite their work permits. "Many inhabitants have lost their homes, their loved ones, and their trust in the Israeli State," said Golan, with a stern look in his eye, back in November 2023. "Someone has to listen to them, and today no one is doing that."

The former MP for left-wing micro-party Meretz has taken aim at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he accuses of not being "honest" with the population. This 60-year-old asserts that after 16 years in total as the head of government, "Bibi" [Netanyahu's nickname] is no longer capable of leading the country. "But I have a plan that could help."

'We're not going to destroy Hamas, it's impossible'

In recent months, the former Knesset [Israeli parliament] member has created and taken the helm of Hitorerut, the Hebrew for "awakening" or "light," a "civic movement" devised as a credible alternative to the ruling Likud, Netanyahu's party. "We're working to bring out the next generation of Israeli leaders," explained Ofer Harmati, one of the founding members of this small group of 10 or so activists gathered on the premises provided by an online gaming multinational on the 16^th floor of a Tel Aviv tower.

Golan, who often begins his sentences with "if I were Prime Minister," stands out in the Israeli political class, with his desire for appeasement and the absence of vengeful rhetoric against the Palestinian people. "The current objectives of the conflict are not realistic," he insisted. "We're not going to destroy Hamas, it's impossible." Instead, the former IDF Deputy Chief of the General Staff proposes supporting the return of the Palestinian Authority to power in the Gaza Strip, alongside political rapprochement with Egypt and Jordan, to find a lasting solution to the conflict.

A left-wing Zionist, Golan advocates a two-state solution, rather than a bi-national state, where Israelis and Palestinians would coexist. The official launch of Hitorerut is scheduled for the coming weeks. Originally scheduled for mid-November, the announcement was postponed in the wake of the deadly Hamas terrorist attack. "We had to come up with a new strategy," explained Harmati. All the more so as the movement's leader had completely changed his stature in the space of 24 hours. "That day, Yair Golan became a hero," said the activist.

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