'A strong Zionist alternative': Yair Golan announces new political camp

Yair Golan, the Major Gen. (res) and former Meretz MK, posted a video to X on Monday morning that appeared to announce the creation of a new political camp, called “The Democrats,” that he intends to create as leader of the Labor Party following the next elections. 

“I am leading the creation of a large and unified camp,” he said in the video. I am founding a democratic, free, broad-based party to present a strong, straightforward Zionist alternative to this corrupt and messianist government.” 

יצאנו לדרך. הדמוקרטים - ישראל חופשית חזקה.הצטרפו והתפקדו: https://t.co/ycnSLQYlqt pic.twitter.com/NZtkNllDiC

— Yair Golan - יאיר גולן (@YairGolan1) March 18, 2024

The video was accompanied by a link to a campaign website, yairgolan.org.il.

“Israel needs to change direction,” he added. “The government that led us to the worst disaster in the history of the state continues to take us to the edge of the abyss,” proclaiming that what he called the “free and democratic community” deserves “courageous and direct leadership” to “fight for democratic values” and “place the good of the state, and its security, above all personal and political interests.”

Golan previously sought to lead Meretz, the left-wing party that in 2022 failed, for the first time since its founding as part of the 1990s peace movement, to pass the electoral threshold, while the Labor Party, once dominant in Israeli politics, received a paltry four seats.

The military officer had run a primary campaign calling for separation from the Palestinians, arguing that the current security status quo has Israel on a trajectory to annexation of the West Bank, while an alternative set of policies could place Israel on a trajectory towards a future two-state solution. He sparred with his opponent, Zehava Galon, who won the party leadership, over the importance of defining the party as Zionist, with Golan insisting on it.

Golan made headlines on October 7 for traveling south unprompted

He has received new acclaim following his actions on the morning of October 7, when, upon hearing news of an attack in the South, the 61-year-old Golan put on his uniform and drove to the site of the Nova massacre to rescue survivors in his car. 

Golan joins other leaders of Israel’s opposition and civil society, calling for early elections. Were elections to be held today, polling largely indicates that Netanyahu would lose the office of prime minister, with a different, centrist party winning a plurality of seats.