Professor Slams 'Hypocrisy' in Attacks on Arab-Israeli Candidate

Professor Moshe Cohen Eliya commented on the controversy surrounding Yosef Haddad, the second candidate on Ofer Winter's party list, who was recently revealed to have supported the establishment of a Palestinian state five years ago. Haddad has since stated he changed his views after the "Guardian of the Walls" operation.

Cohen Eliya argued that the attacks on Haddad are hypocritical, pointing out that Netanyahu himself and significant parts of the current right-wing political bloc previously supported a two-state solution. He questioned whether Haddad would have faced similar criticism if he had accepted an offer to join the Likud party and a video emerged of him supporting a Palestinian state before October 7th.

"It is his right to change his mind, and this is not a reason to disqualify him," Cohen Eliya wrote, adding that while Winter's party could be criticized for potentially wasting votes and leading to a "deep state" government with support from the Joint List and Ra'am, Haddad should not be targeted on this issue.

He also stated that while Haddad should not be immune to political attacks, and if he is not built for them, he is unfit for politics, Haddad also symbolizes the integration of the Arab population into Israel. Cohen Eliya praised Haddad's response to Yinon Magal on "Patriots," where Haddad said he sang the Israeli anthem "Nafshi" (my soul) for himself, interpreting it as a desire for equal integration and a sign of belonging to the Israeli nation. As a Christian Arab, Cohen Eliya noted, Haddad cannot sing "Nefesh Yehudi homiya" (a Jewish soul yearns) but respects Haddad's desire to identify with the anthem personally.

Cohen Eliya concluded by calling Haddad one of Israel's best global spokesmen and stated that the right's test lies in its ability to accept a non-Jewish individual who loves and has fought for the country, not just physically but also on the ideological front, calling this "gratitude."