Sara Netanyahu's accusation and the battle over October 7 memory

The Prime Minister's wife insinuates Yair Golan knew of the attack; a senior reservist calls the charge 'moral and ethical bankruptcy.'

Sara Netanyahu's accusation and the battle over October 7 memory — Last night on Channel 14, Sara Netanyahu insinuated that Democratic Party chairman Yair Golan arrived at the Gaza border on October 7 “dressed and ready,” implying foreknowledge of the attack. Golan, a reserve major general, responded with a warning letter demanding a public apology within 24 hours and 2.5 million shekels in compensation—to be donated to Nova festival survivors. [^1] The accusation landed in an already polarized campaign. Brig. Gen. (res.) Guy Hazut, a former commander of the Kfir Brigade and the Edom Formation, published a defense of Golan, calling the treason charge a “moral and ethical bankruptcy” that dismantles society and endangers it more than any external threat. [^2] The counter-narrative, as reported by Maariv, centers on Golan's actions that morning—traveling south to rescue survivors—as evidence against the insinuation. [^3] An analysis by Scooper found that 42% of online conversation defined Sara Netanyahu's claim as a “conspiracy theory.” [^4] The episode raises a sharp question: in an election season where 1,200 were murdered and 26,000 wounded on October 7, can any party weaponize that day without fracturing the public trust it demands? Haredi enlistment surge and IDF operational shifts — Approximately 260 young Haredi men enlisted in the IDF on the first day of the draft cycle for combat roles, a 30% increase over the corresponding day last year. Over 100 joined the Netzach Yehuda Battalion, 75 the Hashmonaim Brigade, and more than 30 the Paratroopers Brigade. The numbers suggest a trend, but the increase is shadowed by a counter-movement: in recent days, a Haredi commander in an elite technological unit left the army on the orders of Rabbi Avraham Salim, who told the young man to "leave the IDF because it is at war with the Torah scholars."[^1][^2] Meanwhile, the IDF's operational posture is shifting on multiple fronts. Forces from the 91st Division located and destroyed numerous Hezbollah weapons in southern Lebanon, while Defense Minister Israel Katz announced the arrest of Hamas's head of general security in Gaza City today.[^3] Yet on the northern borde