Left out An Israeli politician's fight for democracy
The Guardian|August 12, 2024
In the morning of 7 October, after Hamas militants broke through Israel's barrier with the Gaza Strip, reserve Maj Gen Yair Golan decided he could not stay at home in the central town of Rosh Ha'ayin.
Bethan McKernan
Left out An Israeli politician's fight for democracy

The scale of the attack was still unclear, but the 61-year-old put on his uniform and drove to the home front command headquarters, where the seriousness of the situation began to dawn on him.

"I went to the war room and I was shocked. On the big screens we could see Toyota cars moving inside Ofakim, Sderot, shooting everywhere, and I understood something terrible was happening," he said.

Picking up a rifle from the base, he continued south to the battlefields, alone, relying on almost 40 years of combat experience to dodge Hamas on back roads through the fields to rescue people fleeing from the Nova festival. A total of 364 partygoers were massacred and another 40 taken hostage at Nova. He managed to rescue six people, only stopping the search for survivors when it got too dark to keep going.

Golan, who entered politics five years ago after a career in the army, is one of the most prominent of the many brave Israelis who took matters into their own hands that day to save others. His new image as a hero has given his political career a shot in the arm - and he has decided his new mission is to revive his country's moribund left.

Elected in May as the leader of Israel's centre-left Labor party with 95% of the vote, by July Golan had successfully orchestrated a merger with his former party, the leftwing Meretz.

Both those parties performed poorly in the last elections: Labor, for decades the dominant force in Israeli politics, squeaked over the electoral threshold with just four Knesset seats, and Meretz, the home of the Zionist left, was wiped out altogether.

This story is from the August 12, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the August 12, 2024 edition of The Guardian.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE GUARDIANView All
Boehly and Clearlake plot buyouts in civil war
The Guardian

Boehly and Clearlake plot buyouts in civil war

Chelsea's civil war has led Clearlake Capital, the US private equity firm that owns a majority shareholding in the club, to consider buying out Todd Boehly or striking a deal with the billionaire that would keep him in little more than a ceremonial role.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Kane basks in the joy of 'my! happy place' with England
The Guardian

Kane basks in the joy of 'my! happy place' with England

Captain says Ronaldo and Messi have inspired his bid to stay ontop, with his 100th cap tonight at Wembley

time-read
4 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Sri Lanka leave with deserved win thanks to brilliance of Nissanka
The Guardian

Sri Lanka leave with deserved win thanks to brilliance of Nissanka

Not for the first time this summer England kept the celebrations largely in check.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Letting it slide Paris 2024 must learn from London's broken promises for legacy to be fulfilled
The Guardian

Letting it slide Paris 2024 must learn from London's broken promises for legacy to be fulfilled

Big news last week on the Olympic Park slide. Perhaps you missed it amid the euphoria of Sunday night's Paralympic closing ceremony, as the curtain came down on the summer panorama that was Paris 2024.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 10, 2024
McQueen's right-hand woman gets Givenchy job
The Guardian

McQueen's right-hand woman gets Givenchy job

Sarah Burton, who designed the Princess of Wales' wedding dress in her former role as the creative director of Alexander McQueen, has been appointed to the top job at Givenchy.

time-read
1 min  |
September 10, 2024
Ex-head of Lebanese central bank in court over suspected fraud
The Guardian

Ex-head of Lebanese central bank in court over suspected fraud

The former head of Lebanon's central bank Riad Salameh appeared in court yesterday for the first time since his arrest last week on charges of embezzling up to $42m (£32m) of public funds.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Dozens killed as Asia's most powerful storm of the year hits north Vietnam
The Guardian

Dozens killed as Asia's most powerful storm of the year hits north Vietnam

Typhoon Yagi and the landslides and floods it triggered killed at least 49 people and injured another 299 in northern Vietnam since the weekend, the government said, as authorities yesterday warned of more flooding.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Celebrity pastor surrenders in Philippines after two-week hunt
The Guardian

Celebrity pastor surrenders in Philippines after two-week hunt

A pastor wanted in the US on child trafficking charges has been arrested in the Philippines after a 16-day manhunt across a vast compound that includes a network of underground tunnels and dozens of buildings.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Polls tighten between candidates before crucial first debate tonight
The Guardian

Polls tighten between candidates before crucial first debate tonight

Kamala Harris's presidential campaign has posted a list of her policy positions on its website as the polls tightened before her make-or-break first debate against Donald Trump tonight.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024
Parole Board verdict on murderer is a 'betrayal', says victim's mother
The Guardian

Parole Board verdict on murderer is a 'betrayal', says victim's mother

The mother of a woman who was raped and murdered 27 years ago has said a Parole Board recommendation that her killer be released from prison is a \"betrayal\".

time-read
2 mins  |
September 10, 2024