Katz says Yair Golan, an ex-deputy chief of staff, to be barred from IDF reserves for ‘blood libel’

Defense Minister Israel Katz announces that former IDF deputy chief of staff and the chair of the left-wing Democrats party Yair Golan will be permanently barred from reserve duty, wearing an IDF uniform, and entering military bases after Golan said earlier this week that soldiers were being sent to kill babies in Gaza “as a hobby.”

Katz calls the remarks a “blood libel” and warns they could be used by Israel’s enemies to pursue legal action against IDF personnel in international courts.

He also voices support for passing legislation that would allow the defense minister to strip reserve officers of their rank over such conduct.

“There is no place for people like Golan in public life,” Katz declares, urging officials from across the political spectrum to denounce the former lawmaker.

Golan, an often controversial figure, briefly held the respect of lawmakers from across the political spectrum after he went down to the front lines of his own accord on October 7, 2023, to rescue people fleeing the massacre at the Nova music festival.