Reservist and anti-government activist Omri Ronen joins Golan’s The Democrats

By Ariela Karmel

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16 February 2026, 5:02 pm

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Ariela 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.

The Democrats party leader Yair Golan (left) shakes hands with new member Omri Ronen at a faction meeting at the Knesset in Jerusalem, February 16, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Democrats leader Yair Golan announces that anti-government activist, reservist and bereaved family member Omri Ronen is joining the left-wing party.

“I look at you, Omri, and I see the entire Israeli story, with all its beauty and all its unimaginable pain,” says Golan, speaking to reporters ahead of the party’s faction meeting at the Knesset, alongside Ronen.

Ronen was born in Kibbutz Kfar Aza and is the grandson of Nira Ronen, who was murdered by Hamas terrorists in her home in Kfar Aza on October 7 alongside her Filipina caregiver, Angelyn Aguirre, who refused to leave her patient’s side.

An officer in the elite Maglan unit, Ronen was called up as a reservist following the attacks, serving more than 350 days of reserve duty. He is also a prominent activist and member of the Brothers in Arms movement, which opposed the government’s judicial overhaul in 2023.

“Omri, I know that someone who stood against terrorists and someone who faced a national crisis will also know how to fight in the Knesset,” Golan continues.

Ronen says that after “three years of fighting for the State of Israel” on the battlefield, in the streets, and in the rehabilitation of the Western Negev, “the next great and important battle is in building public leadership that will be good for Israel. I am excited to stand here today and announce that I am joining The Democrats.”