Launching Election Campaign, Democrats’ Golan Says Blood Spilled in West Bank Is on PM’s Hands

Launching its election campaign at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, the left-wing Democrats party declared its intention to keep individuals facing criminal charges out of public office. The party also set its sights on controlling the education and justice ministries in the next government.

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From this night on we’re going out into the field and speaking with every single Israeli and bringing in one million votes.

Party leader Yair Golan, introduced as a unifying figure, announced the formation of the Democrats by merging Israel's historic Labor and Meretz parties with various protest groups. He described this as a "historic union" aimed at fundamentally changing the country for future generations. Golan framed the campaign as the "most fateful battle ever for the future of the State of Israel," expressing confidence in securing one million votes.

During the rally, which drew about 1,000 supporters, speakers also criticized settler violence and called for the dismantling of unauthorized settler outposts in the West Bank. The party faced criticism from its left flank after Golan and other members referred to a deadly gunfight in the West Bank as "Palestinian terrorism."

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Our soldiers’ blood that has been spilled, and that unfortunately is yet to be spilled, is on their hands.

Referring to the recent clash that resulted in the deaths of two Israelis and four Palestinians, Golan accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz of deliberately escalating violence in the West Bank before the election. "Our soldiers' blood that has been spilled... is on their hands," Golan stated, vowing to dismantle what he called "armed militias" and "outposts" to allow the IDF to focus on its primary mission of protecting Israel.

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We’ll lead a political-security-regional initiative that will restore sanity.