A General in the Israeli army faced outcry today – after he likened modern day Israel to Germany in the time of Hitler.
Major General Yair Golan, the Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF, made the comments during a speech for Holocaust Memorial Day in a Kibbutz in Central Israel.
"It's scary to see horrifying developments that took place in Europe begin to unfold here," he said. "If there is one thing that is scary in remembering the Holocaust, it is noticing horrific processes which developed in Europe – particularly in Germany – 70, 80, and 90 years ago, and finding remnants of that here among us in the year 2016."
"The Holocaust, in my view, must lead us to deep soul-searching about the nature of man," he added. "It must bring us to conduct some soul-searching as to the responsibility of leadership and the quality of our society. It must lead us to fundamentally rethink how we, here and now, behave towards the other."
Many in Israel were furious at the General’s remarks. “He must be fired without delay as he can no longer be trusted in the field in warfare”, one user wrote in the comments section of the Jerusalem Post report on his speech. Politicians also joined in condemning Maj-Gen Golan.
By this morning, the General had backtracked on his remarks.
"I had no intention of comparing the IDF and the State of Israel with things that went on during the Nazi period," Army Radio quoted. "The comparison is absurd and lacks any foundation, and there was no intent to draw such a parallel or to criticize the civilian leadership."
