Israel's left-wing leader says war must end, government 'doesn't represent' the people

Israeli left-wing opposition leader Yair Golan called on Monday for an immediate end to the Gaza war and said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government no longer represented most Israelis.

"Today the government of Israel doesn't represent the vast majority of Israelis," said Golan, chairman of the Democrats party and a former deputy army chief, days before a planned parliament vote which the opposition hopes would trigger a general election.

He told journalists in a briefing that after more than 20 months of fighting, Israel "should end the war as soon as possible."

Golan's party, a conglomeration of left-wing factions, has only four seats in Israel's 120-member legislature, making it one of its smallest political groups.

But in a country where coalition building is essential to achieving a political majority, even relatively small parties can wield considerable power.

Golan, a former deputy minister in a short-lived administration that replaced Netanyahu in 2021-2022, said that the current government -- one of the most right-wing in Israel's history -- was a threat to democracy.

The opposition leader said he represents those "who want to save Israeli democracy... from a corrupted future" and the "messianic-like and nationalistic and extremist vision of a very small faction in the Israeli society."

"The vast majority wants to keep Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people and at the same time a free, egalitarian, and democratic state," Golan said.

He said that the vast majority of Israelis wanted to see an immediate end to the war in Gaza, the return of all hostages held by Palestinian militants in a single exchange deal, and the establishment of a national commission of inquiry into Hamas' unprecedented 2023 attack, arguing that the Netanyahu government was opposed to these objectives.

"I believe that we can reach a hostage deal in a matter of days," Golan said.

"I believe that by ending the war and freeing the hostages, we will be able to build an alternative to Hamas inside the Gaza Strip."

Criticizing the government's Gaza war policies, the former army general has recently drawn condemnation in Israel for saying that "a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby."

Golan on Monday also said that most Israelis support legislation that would require ultra-Orthodox Jewish men, who are currently largely exempt from military service, to enlist.

The issue has sparked tension between Netanyahu and ultra-Orthodox parties in his government, with lawmakers threatening to topple the prime minister if no agreement is reached this week.

Some opposition parties are seeking to place a bill to dissolve parliament on Wednesday's plenary agenda, hoping to capitalize on the ultra-Orthodox revolt.

"The vast majority wants new elections as soon as possible," Golan said.

AFP