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Sunday, March 22, 2026
Democrats head Golan says Netanyahu dragging out war to avoid elections
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
During a visit to Arad in southern Israel, which suffered an Iranian ballistic missile attack on Saturday, The Democrats chairman Yair Golan accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of dragging out conflicts for political gain.
Golan, an outspoken former general who is among the premier’s most vociferous critics, says Netanyahu is “squandering” the army’s military gains by failing to parlay them into increased security.
Instead, he charges, Netanyahu wants to keep Israel on war footing because ending the fighting would lead to elections.
“Netanyahu has turned national security into a tool for his political survival,” asserts Golan. “This is why we’ve been in an endless war for two and a half years. Instead of leading toward a decisive victory and using diplomacy to stabilize the situation, he is dragging the war out because its end would necessitate elections and a change in government.”
Israel is currently scheduled to hold an election by October, but it could come sooner if domestic pressures cause the coalition to collapse.
Opposition leaders were initially reluctant to criticize Netanyahu during the war, but they have become increasingly critical of both the government’s handling of the conflict and its decision to resume advancing controversial non-war related legislation in the Knesset.
The Times of Israel Community.