Yair Golan, a former Israeli general and the leader of the country’s left-wing opposition party, has been barred from wearing an Israeli military uniform, entering a military base or serving as a reservist, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Friday.

Before retiring, Golan had served as the army’s deputy chief of staff. Katz cited Golan’s remarks on Tuesday criticising the government’s policies in Gaza.

“Israel is on the way to becoming a pariah state, like South Africa was, if we don’t return to acting like a sane country,” Golan told Israeli public radio in an interview.