Yair Golan Rebukes Activist Over Remarks About Religious Soldiers

Social activist Naor Narkis, who is expected to run in the Democratic Party primaries ahead of the next Knesset election, triggered a backlash over the weekend after making harsh comments about religious Zionists. In an interview with i24NEWS, he said that if they had done full military service like secular Israelis, “maybe they would not have fallen so much,” referring to soldiers from that sector who have suffered heavy losses in combat since October 7.

Narkis also claimed that religious Zionists are “the most draft dodging sector after the ultra-Orthodox,” and compared their shorter service through hesder tracks to longer secular service, saying a soldier with a year and a half of service is less experienced than one who served three years. He added that people who say they prayed instead of taking up weapons and standing at the border are “anti-Zionist and detached from reality,” and mocked prayer in combat by comparing it to a secular person listening to Taylor Swift.

The comments drew sharp anger, especially among religious Zionists. Many criticized what they saw as a sweeping generalization, while others accused Narkis of incitement and baseless hatred.

Democratic Party chair Yair Golan condemned Narkis’s remarks. “Fighters who fell defending the State of Israel do not need to justify themselves to anyone,” he said in response to ynet. Golan added that on the battlefield “there are no sectors,” only IDF soldiers, and said linking a political debate to fallen soldiers’ sacrifice is wrong and does not reflect his party’s values. He said the debate over Israeli society and burden-sharing should continue, but not in cemeteries, and that the duty is to remember the fallen, comfort their families, and never blame them for their deaths.