Arab-Israeli Activist Vows to Cut Off Hand Before Supporting Arab Parties

Yoseph Haddad, a prominent Arab-Israeli pro-Israel activist and the second-ranked candidate for the "Am Israel" party, declared in a recent podcast interview that he would rather sever his own hand than support Arab political parties. Haddad made the strong statement during an interview on the "October 8th" podcast hosted by former Hamas hostage Rom Braslavsky.

Braslavsky, himself a former hostage, expressed his distrust of Arab politicians, particularly those in the Knesset, due to his experiences. He asked Haddad if he could guarantee he would never run with or support figures like Mansour Abbas or other Arab parties. Haddad responded unequivocally, stating he would "never rely on the votes of people like Sami Abu Shahadeh, Ahmad Tibi, Yousef Jabareen, and Ofer Cassif," whom he labeled as "terror supporters," claiming to possess evidence for this assertion.

His dramatic declaration came just a day after the Central Elections Committee disqualified the Ra'am party and lawmakers Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shahadeh from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. The committee's chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, actively voted to disqualify Abu Shahadeh, a move described as unusual. The final decisions on these disqualifications are expected to be reviewed by the High Court of Justice.