Israeli politician slammed for saying country should not 'kill babies for a hobby'

Smoke bilows to the north as Palestinians move with their belogings through Jabalia while fleeing the northern Gaza Strip towards Gaza City on May 19, 2025, amid Israeli evacuation orders and ongoing strikes. Israel said on May 19 it will "take control" of the whole of Gaza, where aid entered for the first time in more than two months as rescuers reported dozens killed in a newly intensified offensive. (Photo by Bashar TALEB / AFP)

Israeli government and opposition leaders condemned on Tuesday a left-wing politician, Yair Golan, after he said in a radio interview that "a sane country... does not kill babies for a hobby".

"Israel is on the path to becoming a pariah state among the nations -- like the South Africa of old -- if it does not return to behaving like a sane country," said Golan, chairman of Israel's Democrats party.

"A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies for a hobby, and does not set goals involving the expulsion of populations," he told Israel's Kan public radio.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Golan, a former major general in the military, of "wild incitement" against Israeli troops and of "echoing the most despicable anti-Semitic blood libels against the (Israeli army) and the State of Israel."

Golan also drew condemnation from government critics, with opposition leader Yair Lapid saying in a post on X: "Our fighters are heroes and are defending our lives. The statement that they kill children as a hobby is incorrect and is a gift to our enemies".

Education Minister Yoav Kisch, of Netanyahu's party, called for an investigation for incitement into Golan, whose party is a coalition of several left-wing factions.

"Golan is not a member of Knesset and does not have immunity. I expect the attorney general to immediately open an investigation against him for incitement," Kisch said on X.

Military chief Eyal Zamir in a statement condemned remarks that cast doubt on the "morality" of the army's actions and of its troops.

Responding to criticism, Golan said on X that he was trying to sound the alarm on the direction he believed Israel was headed.

The government's war plans are "the realisation of the fantasies of (Itamar) Ben Gvir and (Bezalel) Smotrich", Golan said, referring to two far-right ministers.

"If we allow them to realise them, we will become a divided state," the left-wing politician said.

Golan is a vocal opponent of Netanyahu's government and its policies.

In November 2024, he accused Netanyahu of putting his own political interests before the country's following a decision to dismiss defence minister Yoav Gallant.