Yair Golan on the Einav Zangauker controversy: 'I feel I did the right thing'
Following the public outcry over the failure to reserve a spot for Einav Zangauker, Yair Golan explains why he backtracked on his promise and how he reacted to her public criticism: 'I feel that to some extent I did her an injustice and I regret it.'
The controversy surrounding the failure to reserve a spot for Einav Zangauker in the 'Democrats' party, led by Yair Golan, continues to dominate headlines. Amid public criticism over the decision not to include the mother of a hostage in the party under his leadership, Yair Golan appeared on Itai Segal’s 'All In' podcast to explain why he was forced to break his promise.
'I love Einav very much and I appreciate her deeply. I think she led one of the most heroic struggles in the history of Israel. I believe she is a truly special woman. I really wanted her to be part of the party's team, but things changed over the last few weeks. The mass enrollment process, the participation of 51 candidates, and the democratic celebration that surrounded it made me realize I couldn't do it,' Golan shared.
The veteran politician noted that he reached this conclusion after an in-depth analysis of the primary results:
'It was a process that was built over time. I didn't know what the results would be. When I speak about the fantastic outcome, I mean that I couldn't have predicted the results. The outcome of the primaries ultimately surprised me. At a certain stage, I realized I could not proceed with the plan.
It is a difficult decision because I love Einav and I think she is an amazing woman. I truly thought she should have been on the team. I very much hope she will find her way into public life with us, but I felt that intervening in a heavy-handed way at that moment was not right.'
Finally, Yair Golan stated that he shared his decision with Einav Zangauker and addressed the angry post she published on the social network X:
'I spoke with her at the end of last week, and I will speak with her again. There are situations where one shows cruelty out of indifference, but here I clearly feel that to some extent I did her an injustice, and I regret it. I would not have wanted to be at this point, but I feel that I did the right thing. I understand the people who were disappointed in me.'
