Advocacy Activist Yoseph Haddad Faces Scrutiny Over Past Statements

Advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad, a member of the right-wing 'Am Israel' party and its candidate for the upcoming Knesset elections, is at the center of a public controversy due to an interview he gave to Al-Arabiya over five years ago. In that interview, Haddad stated his support for the establishment of a Palestinian state. Although he has since clarified that his views have changed and he now opposes a Palestinian state, asserting his pro-Israel activities demonstrate this, the discussion continues.

Journalist Mohammad Magadla, head of the news division at Radio Nass and a commentator on Channel 12, shared a clip from another Haddad interview conducted two months after Operation "Guardian of the Walls." In this later interview, Haddad stated, "Don't infer from my words that I think it should be one state. No, I support a two-state solution, provided that Israel maintains full security for itself, for the borders, and for our people and our society." Magadla commented on the clip, "Not a one-time slip-up. Yoseph Haddad claims he changed his stance regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state following Guardian of the Walls. However, in an interview he gave two months after the operation ended, he explicitly said: 'I support a two-state solution.'"

Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich also addressed the controversy surrounding Haddad, a member of the 'Am Israel' party founded by Ofer Winter. After sharing a clip from Haddad's Al-Arabiya interview, Smotrich wrote, "When you look for 'new stars' and buy a cat in a bag, the electoral threshold is not the only danger."

In response to the criticism, Haddad clarified to his social media followers that his position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has evolved. He stated, "Let no one doubt, I have no trust in Palestinians today and I strongly oppose a Palestinian state, which is an existential disaster for all of us. This is why I am in the Am Israel party led by Ofer Winter, which aims to address immigration from Gaza as the only solution there. Do not fall for spins and propaganda at my expense. On the contrary, as a propaganda minister, I will expose the Palestinian lie to the world to ensure no one believes them and to finally kill the idea of a Palestinian state."