About 250 people gathered Sunday evening at Tel Aviv Port to hear Yair Golan, former deputy chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces and current chair of the Democrats party, address key issues facing Israel ahead of upcoming elections. The event, hosted by the Tel Aviv International Salon and conducted in English, drew a diverse audience that included new immigrants and long-term Israeli residents.
Golan, whose party is a merger of the center-left Labor Party and the left-wing Meretz, outlined a platform that seeks to address security concerns while promoting diplomatic solutions. His speech came amid a political climate increasingly dominated by right-wing rhetoric. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has criticized the Democrats, comparing them unfavorably to Arab parties and accusing them of being weak on security. In a recent controversial claim, Sara Netanyahu suggested, without evidence, that Golan had advanced warning of the October 7 Hamas attack — a claim he publicly refuted.
During the event, Golan recounted his personal experience on October 7, when he voluntarily helped rescue six people in southern Israel amid the Hamas assault. He emphasized two key takeaways from that day: the strength of Israeli solidarity and a profound anger toward Hamas as well as the government, which he blamed for exacerbating Israel's vulnerability through divisive judicial reforms. Golan criticized Netanyahu’s policies for “managing” rather than resolving the Palestinian conflict, which he said allowed Hamas’s influence to grow.
Looking ahead, Golan advocated adopting the Board of Peace’s plan for Gaza and called for replacing Hamas with a moderate Palestinian governing body, describing this as essential to achieving progress. He stressed the need to combat all forms of terrorism, whether from Palestinians or Jewish settlers in the West Bank.
On Lebanon, Golan proposed leveraging the current government’s relative moderation to form agreements and suggested creating an international force to collaborate with selected Lebanese military units to restrict Hezbollah’s presence in southern Lebanon. Regarding Iran, he recommended reinstating the nuclear deal, acknowledging its imperfections but viewing it as a necessary means to prevent rapid nuclear advancements.
Regionally, Golan emphasized building ties with moderate countries such as Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Egypt while opposing radical states including Iran, Qatar, and Turkey.
Domestically, Golan addressed the importance of maintaining constructive relations with the U.S. administration irrespective of party affiliation, framing it as a matter of national responsibility.
Audience members noted that despite the Democrats’ left-leaning platform, Golan’s tone was relatively centrist, reflecting an attempt to navigate Israel’s shift toward the right. He expressed concern that Israeli politics have long skewed rightward by avoiding serious debate on key issues, and called for a recommitment to liberal and democratic values.
The topic of peace arose during audience questioning, when a member of the Women Wage Peace organization pointed out that Golan had not explicitly mentioned “peace” in his remarks. He acknowledged that peace is the ultimate goal and the best form of security but characterized calls for it as currently “a kind of fantasy” due to deep mistrust and trauma resulting from ongoing violence. He framed the present moment as one requiring practical diplomacy, anchored in incremental steps toward political solutions in Gaza and the West Bank.
Golan highlighted peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan as Israel’s most effective defense assets but cautioned that achieving peace with the Palestinians will be a long and challenging process. He reiterated that while immediate prospects appear difficult, the long-term objective remains unequivocal: “100 percent peace.”