Prominent Rabbi Slams Party for Arab Candidate, Cites Religious Law

Rabbi Shlomo Aviner, president of the Ateret Cohanim yeshiva and a leading figure in the Religious Zionist movement, has strongly criticized the "Amcha Yisrael" party, led by Ofer Winter, over its decision to place Arab Israeli activist Yosef Haddad in the second position on its electoral list. According to a Ynet report, Rabbi Aviner stated in a lesson to his students that it is forbidden to vote for a party with a non-Jewish candidate in a prominent position. He asserted that a non-Jew, even if recognized as a "Righteous Among the Nations," cannot lead the nation in the Land of Israel, and can only be a private citizen.

The "Amcha Yisrael" party vehemently rejected Rabbi Aviner's remarks. Ofer Winter emphasized his personal experience fighting alongside Druze, Bedouin, and Christian commanders and soldiers, naming brigade commanders Imad Faris and Ehsan Daksa, who fell in northern Gaza, and other officers like Salman Habaka. Winter addressed Haddad directly, stating he is as worthy of leadership as he was of commanding and being wounded for the country.

Yosef Haddad, a 41-year-old Arab Christian from Nazareth, served as a combat soldier in the Golani Brigade and lost a leg in battle during the Second Lebanon War. Since his injury, he has dedicated himself to pro-Israel advocacy and combating antisemitism. At the party's launch, Haddad declared his ambition to become the first Arab minister of public diplomacy in the Israeli cabinet.