Could retired Maj. Gen. Golan save Israel’s Labor Party?

On June 3, Labor Party Chairman Avi Gabbay phoned former Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan to inform him that he could run for the leadership of the party in next month’s primaries. Less than a week after the Knesset defied all logic by dissolving itself, Maj. Gen. Golan (res.) is asked to make a decision. He must make up his mind much sooner than he anticipated, and decide whether he is willing to dive right into politics, and if so, in which political framework?

Golan retired from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) last year after failing to win appointment as the next chief of staff. Because the 21st Knesset dissolved itself so quickly, the official “cooling-off period” has already expired, making him eligible to compete in the upcoming election in September. Golan has spent the past few months preparing himself on the public front lines, offering penetrating interviews in which he presents a comprehensive worldview that positions him on the political left. At the same time, he has been signaling that his next career will be in politics. Now he has a chance to enter politics in the most fortuitous circumstances.

But on which platform? He does not have many choices. Blue and White is not really an option: It already has its fair share of former chiefs of staff, and the leadership is crowded as it is. Furthermore, interviews he has given since leaving the IDF indicate that he is aiming at a leadership position. Also, he has presented a comprehensive and detailed worldview that is not in accord with the Blue and White Party’s platform combining left and right.

In an April interview with the TV newsmagazine Uvda, Golan said that the debate over the peace process is underdeveloped. “The basic debate should be over annexation or disengagement,” he said. “That is the heart of the issue. There is no way to avoid disengagement. The vision of two states for two peoples living beside each other in peace is too remote for us to achieve right now.”