Yair Golan was recently elected the leader of the newly formed Israel Democrats Party, an amalgamation of the two major left-wing Zionist parties in the Israeli government, Labor, and Meretz. Recent polls suggest that this new party could capture ten seats in a future election. Golan had a long and successful career in the IDF, beginning as a paratrooper and rising to deputy chief of staff in 2014. In 2016 he gave a speech in which he said that some elements of Israel reminded him of Germany in 1933, referring to the way in which Israel treated the Palestinians living in the occupied territories. This statement led to loss of the opportunity to be selected in 2018 as the commander of the IDF. Subsequently Golan left the military and became involved in politics. He was a member of the Knesset, representing Meretz from 2019-2022. On the morning of October 7, 2023, upon learning of the attack by Hamas on Israel, Golan grabbed a weapon and drove south to the war zone, where he shuttled Israelis fleeing the Nova Festival massacre to safety. For this he is considered a hero in the eyes of many Israelis.
I interviewed Golan on November 8, 2024, in his office in Ramat Gan. He expressed his deep concern about increased tribalism in Israeli society and with the failure of the ultra-orthodox to enter the IDF. He argued that a cease-fire in Gaza is already feasible but believes that Netanyahu prefers to keep the war going so as to appease the far-right members of his coalition who want to rebuild settlements in Gaza. Golan contends that retaining and strengthening Israel’s connections with a Trump-governed United States are essential. He believes that the next prime minister should recognize that he or she is the prime minister of all of the Jewish people rather than just Israelis. Below is an edited version of our discussion.
What are the most critical internal conflicts that Israel faces?
At the time of independence, the phrase “Until now, we have been a people without a country” was common. But Jews were spread all over the world, coming to Israel from seventy different nations. They had to be united in a common cause. Unfortunately, in the last 30 years, another paradigm has taken hold. That is, building different population sectors with little contact with one another. So, once again, we face the challenge of creating one nation.
There are at least four different tribes in Israel: the ultra-Orthodox, the Arabs, the Orthodox and the secular. Keep in mind that, in the Middle East, tribalism leads to conflict and often to failed states. We need to bridge the gaps in our society between these groups and should foster judicial equality and equality of opportunity for all. A second and very important issue revolves around the Palestinian question. Here we have only two choices, annexation or separation. In fact, we cannot have one people if we annex the lands holding five million additional Palestinians.
Will the Haredi youths join the IDF?
For the Israeli public, the most serious challenge today revolves around the need to draft Haredi youths. The “autonomy” of the Haredim really began in 1977 under Prime Minister Menachem Begin. Since that time, the government has supported the building of barriers between the Haredim and others.
In fact, in the very first days of the war, I met many Haredi youths who wanted to be part of the people and served in emergency organizations like Magen David Adom and Zaka (Emergency Medical Service). A responsible prime minister could have built a popular media campaign where he would talk directly to the young ultra-orthodox—perhaps just a few short videos to say, “Guys, you are our brothers. We need you. There are not enough soldiers and so many casualties.”
How do we finish the war? How do you see the way out? Everyone I talk to says, “we don’t know.”
The key factor is the hostage deal. In order to get a hostage deal, we need to reach a cease-fire in the south. With cease-fires in the south and in the north, we will be able to deal with the conflict in Judea and Samaria and then start the painful recovery process for Israeli society.
Netanyahu knows that all that is needed is a hostage deal to move in a positive direction. But he does not want it. Why? The war in the south provides the opportunity to convince the Israeli people that we are in a time of emergency and only he (Netanyahu) can save us. He wants the public to live in fear and anxiety. This is similar to the actions of many authoritarian leaders. He also needs to keep the extreme right with him. Finishing the war would mean withdrawing all our forces from the Gaza Strip. Then the far right would not be able to resettle its young people inside Gaza–to re-establish Gush Katif, which was abandoned 19 years ago.
A few weeks ago, the military leader responsible for intelligence regarding the hostage deal resigned from service. He said that he had finished his job. He had nothing to contribute anymore. There was a deal on the table, take it or leave it.
When it comes to strategic matters, we often need to choose between bad and worse. Here we need to choose between good and bad. But this government prefers the bad. This is its main crime. This government ignores the interests of Israel and serves only the personal and political interests of its members.
Will there be an election soon?
We will do our best to have new elections as soon as possible, but we will also be ready for the prescribed date of the next elections—by the end of 2026. And we will create the kind of coalition we had before Netanyahu won. The alternative to Netanyahu must be a unified government coalition.
What could happen between Netanyahu and Trump? How should Israel deal with Trump?
It is very difficult to predict the policy of the new American administration. In any event, to have a regional front against Iran we need the United States. To reach a new peace agreement with the Palestinians, we need the United States with us. A new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with America is required by 2026. This MOU must clearly state that America supports the security of Israel.
The worst-case scenario for Israel would be if Donald Trump takes office and says something like, “It is too hard to deal with you. You are not a good partner. As with Ukraine, I do not care. If you want to annex millions of Palestinians, do it. You want to build new settlements, do it. I am going to take American troops out of the Middle East. I will concentrate all my efforts on dealing with Russia and China. I do not care about this small state somewhere in the Middle East. It is your problem.” This could be the worst case scenario for Israel.
We need the commitment of the new administration to build a positive, stable, and supportive role in the Middle East. Without it, we are alone. Who would help us in the UN? Who would provide military support? Who will help us if other forces enter the conflict? On the night of April 13 and 14, 2024, when Iran launched the first missile attacks on Israel, America, France, and the UK, as well as Jordan, all worked together to protect us. Who would do that tomorrow morning without America? No one.
How do you get to an Israel that you want to live in, that you love, and that will grow?
We need to adopt the basic values of the Zionist movement, a homeland for all the Jewish people, including Reform and Conservative Jews, everyone, and also a free, egalitarian, and democratic state. The next prime minister must remember that he is not only the prime minister of Israel, but also the prime minister of the Jewish people. And we need to reinforce the basic values of Judaism. That is, to bring something good into the world, to fight against humanity’s worst impulses, to create a safe place for the Jewish people, and to ensure peace.