Time for Israeli opposition to show its mettle

Let’s face it, unless there are some dramatic developments, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is in a position to see out the full term of the current Knesset, which could last until the end of October 2026. The great manipulator of Israeli politics has successfully abused the power of his office to enlarge his coalition, meaning it is likely to see out its full term, although several commentators in his close circle have suggested that a general election might be held early next year.

The next election will be, without a shadow of a doubt, the most consequential in the country’s history — a last-chance saloon for Israel’s endangered democracy to end the occupation and take the path to peace with the Palestinians, as well as restore the sanity in the political and social discourse. Under Netanyahu, “the lie became the truth” and “war is peace.”

There are encouraging polls indicating that the parties that currently comprise the governing coalition will be sent to the opposition benches and that most Israeli voters are deeply dissatisfied with Netanyahu personally and his entire Cabinet. However, they are less clear about who they might want to replace him. Much of the blame for the present situation lies at the door of the opposition parties for not offering a genuine and convincing alternative in terms of leadership, courage or policies. This is particularly tragic considering how damaging, divisive and incompetent the current government has shown itself to be.

However, let us consider one of the steadily rising stars of Israeli politics: the former Israeli military deputy chief of staff retired Maj. Gen. Yair Golan. He has managed to unite the leftist-liberal political forces that won only four Knesset seats in the last election under a new name: the Democrats. And recent polls suggest that, should there be an election tomorrow, they would gain 14 seats. For now, this does not mean the party is best placed to form the next coalition, but its upward trajectory is impressive and Golan and his party are already well positioned to be a significant influence in the next Knesset.

The rise in the stock of the Democrats and Golan himself is the most refreshing news to emerge from Israeli politics for a long time. I recently interviewed Golan for the Chatham House magazine The World Today. He comes across, even in a virtual interview, as extremely affable and charismatic. But more importantly, he is presenting a clear vision of Israel’s future, should he become prime minister, and of the dangers and opportunities of the current turbulent geostrategic situation.

Golan is the most emphatic of all Israel’s Zionist party leaders in his support for a two-state solution to the conflict with the Palestinians. His plan is more aligned with the idea of separation, which, given the current toxic mood of Israeli society, is a courageous position for any leading politician to even hint at taking with regard to the establishment of a Palestinian state living peacefully side by side with Israel. 

Golan belongs to the Moshe Dayan or Yitzhak Rabin school of leaders favored by Israel’s center-left. Like his predecessors, he has vast military experience, which means that, even when such politicians are willing to compromise with the Palestinians, this is due to a pragmatic outlook and the belief that Israel has sufficient military strength to afford that position. They are less concerned with coexistence and reconciliation.

Golan’s reasoning for supporting a two-state solution is first and foremost because it would ensure the long-term security of Israel. He believes that good borders make good friends. It also did his reputation no harm when, on Oct. 7, as soon as he heard of Hamas’ deadly attack, he rushed to the scene on the Gaza border, even though he had been retired from military service for several years by then, and single-handedly saved lives.

While he still sees much of Israel’s relations with the Palestinians through the prism of a soldier, it also transpired from the interview that he is deeply concerned with the harm it does to Israel to occupy millions of Palestinians and how this situation would only worsen should Israel make it permanent through annexation. For him, “Israel must have borders, and not just physical borders but mental borders. People need to understand where Israel is and where it is not.”

None of this comes as a surprise to those who have followed his career closely. There always seems to be a moral compass that guides him and he is not afraid to speak up about that. While still second in command of the military, he delivered an exceptionally courageous speech that, nearly nine years later, appears chillingly prophetic. Golan warned: “If there’s something that frightens me about Holocaust remembrance, it’s the recognition of the revolting processes that occurred in Europe in general, and particularly in Germany, back then — 70, 80 and 90 years ago — and finding signs of them here among us today in 2016.” He called on Israelis to “nip the buds of intolerance, the buds of violence, the buds of self-destruction on the road to moral degradation.”

Golan is anything but naive and he knew at the time that, by speaking so candidly about the moral deterioration of Israeli society — and on Holocaust Memorial Day of all days — he had killed off his chances of becoming head of the military. But he was too perturbed by what he was witnessing both within the military and in wider society to stay silent.

The rise in the stock of the Democrats and Golan himself is the most refreshing news to emerge from Israeli politics for a long time.

Yossi Mekelberg

The uproar following this speech was only to be expected. However, had more Israelis paid attention to Golan’s warnings, listened carefully and reflected on his words, the nation might not be in the mess it is in today. Now, its democracy teeters on the brink, its military is killing tens of thousands of innocent Gazans and settlers in the West Bank are terrorizing Palestinians. Golan himself last month became a victim of the current climate of police brutality when he was thrown to the ground by an officer during a peaceful demonstration.

Toward the end of the interview, Golan admitted that he has a tough task on his hands, but he is determined to succeed. His task, he declared, is “to convince the Israeli public that the left understands security and political conditions in the Middle East much better than the right. And since the right failed so terribly, it’s clear the alternative should be the left.” He added that Israel must be rid of all the hate and polarization that Netanyahu has deliberately sown.

Golan’s success would be a triumph for Israelis and Palestinians alike, but for that he must first do well at the ballot box and resurrect the Zionist left from the brink of oblivion — and that will be no easy task.

• Yossi Mekelberg is a professor of international relations and an associate fellow of the MENA Program at Chatham House. X: @YMekelberg