Hostage campaigner accuses Yair Golan of breaking election promise

Einav Zangauker, a prominent critic of the Israeli government's handling of the hostage crisis, has accused Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, of failing to honour a promise to secure her a senior spot on the party's electoral list. Zangauker stated on social media that she refrained from running in the party primaries based on Golan's assurances, only to find that he chose not to exercise his authority to reserve a spot for her after the primary results were finalised last week. Zangauker alleges that in February, Golan promised her a high-ranking position immediately following the party's incumbent representatives, with the commitment reiterated by party officials over the following months. She claims she kept the agreement confidential and limited her media appearances at the party's request. Following the exclusion, Zangauker stated the matter is closed but vowed to continue her public advocacy to address systemic failures in the country. Golan responded by stating he decided not to use his reserved spot prerogative out of respect for the 113,000 party members who voted in the primaries. While he praised Zangauker's courage and apologised for the disappointment caused, he did not directly address the allegation that he had broken a specific promise. Golan noted he has offered Zangauker a 'meaningful role' within the party, though he did not provide further details. Channel 13 political analyst Raviv Drucker described Golan's response as a 'verbal trick,' arguing that Golan had clearly promised the spot and failed to deliver. Zangauker, whose son Matan was released in October 2025 after more than two years in captivity, confirmed she will not be in the next Knesset but urged the public to remain vigilant regarding the failures surrounding the October 7 attacks and the hostage crisis.