Netanyahu, Golan Clash After Telegraph Revives ‘Killing Babies’ Remark

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Democrats chairman Yair Golan traded accusations Wednesday after Britain’s Telegraph published a profile reviving Golan’s controversial claim that a sane country does not “kill babies as a hobby.”

The dispute has returned one of Golan’s most damaging statements to the center of Israel’s election campaign. Netanyahu accused him of spreading a lie that harms Israel and its soldiers, while Golan suggested the foreign headline may have been used to advance Likud’s political messaging.

The Telegraph profile, published as the Democrats launched their election campaign, carried the headline: “Netanyahu’s latest challenger said Israel killed children as a hobby.” The article presented Golan as a leading left-wing rival to Netanyahu and highlighted his support for establishing a Palestinian state.

Golan made the original comments during a Kan Reshet Bet interview in May 2025, while criticizing the government’s conduct of the war in Gaza.

“Israel is on its way to becoming a pariah state among the nations, like South Africa once was, unless it returns to behaving like a sane country,” Golan said. “A sane country does not wage war against civilians, does not kill babies as a hobby and does not set population expulsion as one of its goals.”

The remark drew condemnation from across Israel’s political system, including from opposition figures. Golan initially refused to apologize and argued that his criticism was aimed at the government, particularly ministers who had promoted the removal of Gaza’s population or used extreme language about Palestinian civilians.

“The IDF is ethical, the people are honest and the government is crooked,” he said at the time, insisting that Israeli soldiers were not the target of his remarks.

Several days later, Golan offered a clearer qualification during a Channel 12 interview.

“Of course Israel does not kill babies as a hobby,” he said. “Israel has not committed war crimes in Gaza. My comments were directed at the political leadership.”

Netanyahu shared the new Telegraph headline Wednesday and accused Golan of causing international damage.

“The headline in the British Telegraph today quotes Yair Golan, Eisenkot’s partner: ‘Israel kills children as a hobby,’” Netanyahu wrote.

“What a complete lie. What terrible damage to our just struggle and to our heroic soldiers. I strongly condemn this despicable lie.”

Golan responded by alleging that the headline echoed a new Likud campaign against him and the Democrats.

“Exactly in the week when the Likud campaign launches an incitement attack against the Democrats and against me, a British right-wing newspaper associated with support for Netanyahu publishes a headline echoing the same lie and the same distortion that Netanyahu’s poison machine is spreading in Israel,” he wrote.

Golan questioned whether the article was part of an influence operation similar to the affair involving Netanyahu associates Jonathan Urich and Israel Einhorn and Germany’s Bild newspaper. That investigation included allegations that foreign media coverage was used to reinforce political messaging inside Israel.

Golan presented no evidence connecting Netanyahu, Likud or their advisers to the Telegraph article, and no response from the newspaper to his accusation was immediately reported.

He ended his statement by accusing Netanyahu of acting to preserve his political position and calling on voters to remove him in the coming election.