From the Liveblog of
Monday, July 21, 2025
Golan says Netanyahu abandoning Israel’s soldiers amid a war to appease ultra-Orthodox
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
Democrats chair Yair Golan says the government’s move to oust Likud MK Yuli Edelstein — whose insistence on strict penalties for draft dodgers has held up the draft exemption bill — exposes the government’s priorities.
“While our brave fighters battle in Gaza and on the northern front, Netanyahu chooses to push through a full draft-dodging law,” he says, speaking to the press before a faction meeting. “The same government that abandoned the hostages and the residents of the south and north is now abandoning the soldiers and the reservists.”
As the Knesset prepares to enter its summer recess, Golan declares that his party will not be taking a break. “The hostages will continue to rot and die in the tunnels, and our soldiers will go on fighting and getting injured unnecessarily,” he says.
“The Democrats will not go into recess. We will continue to fight — in the streets, in action, in meetings with the public – to bring down this government and build a worthy governing alternative,” he continues.
Golan also condemns Saturday’s attacks on Hadash-Tal MKs Ayman Odeh and Ofer Cassif, who were assaulted by far-right activists, during a protest in Ness Ziona.
“This is not a glitch,” he warns. “It is a deliberate ‘Ben Gvir-ization’ of the public sphere.”
The Times of Israel Community.