Tel Aviv, Israel – Yair Golan, head of the “Democrats” party in Israel, sparked a wide wave of political controversy and angry reactions within the right-wing camp,
most notably from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who responded in a tone described as unprecedented.
Golan had said, during a political podcast for the newspaper Yediot Aharonot,
that the extreme religious nationalist movement
and the Haredim represent “a small but dangerous minority to the existence of the state.”
He argued that their growing influence within government institutions poses
a threat to Israel’s future as a democratic state.
Golan accused Smotrich of seeking to undermine democracy and turn it
into an obstacle to what he described as a “fanatical messianic Jewish dream”.
Golan added that Smotrich, along with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, represent a direct threat to Israel’s future.
Questioning the appointment of someone with multiple criminal convictions to a high-ranking security position,
He called on the liberal democratic camp to unite in preparation for the upcoming elections.
Smotrich responded quickly via the “X” platform, describing Golan’s statements
as “rude and rude from an arrogant and hated man.”
He said that the religious nationalist movement is the one
with the highest rates of army recruitment.
shut down Channel 14
He has participated in the fighting over the past two years, and is paying a heavy price in the lives of his sons.
Smotrich also accused Golan of seeking, if he came to power,
This is to dismantle the settlement project in the West Bank and establish an “Arab terror state,” as he put it.
The controversy intensified after Golan stated that he would
shut down the right-wing “Channel 14” if his camp won the elections.
This prompted ministers from the Likud party and Otzma Yehudit to launch
a collective attack against him, accusing him of fighting media freedom.
Observers believe this exchange reflects an unprecedented level of political polarization in Israel.
He also points out that there is a fierce election battle coming up in which each side is trying to portray
its opponents as an existential threat, either to democracy or to the Jewish identity of the state.
