Yosef Haddad Excluded From Party's Key Announcement After Past Remarks Surface

Yosef Haddad, who holds the second position on the party list, was notably absent from a significant party announcement on Monday, just one day after he was compelled to clarify past statements advocating for a Palestinian state. According to a report by Israel Hayom, a formal party advertisement outlining its plan for a "special investigation committee" to examine the events of October 7th featured four senior party figures, but omitted Haddad.

The conspicuous absence follows the exposure of a 2021 interview Haddad gave to Al-Arabiya network, in which he stated that the ultimate solution was a Palestinian state. In response to the publication, Haddad issued a detailed clarification, asserting that his worldview had changed following Operation "Guardian of the Walls" and that he now strongly opposes a Palestinian state.

Just the previous day, the party and its chairman, Ofer Vinter, had publicly defended Haddad. The party clarified that the remarks were from old archival material, and Vinter expressed pride in Haddad, dismissing calls for his removal. Vinter stated that anyone who had not changed their views after October 7th was ignorant and foolish. He emphasized that the party would not abandon its members and urged Haddad to continue working vigorously for Israel.

However, less than 24 hours after this strong show of support, the party's important initiative was presented to the public without Haddad, raising questions within the political arena about his practical standing within the party. The "Am Israel" party denied the original report, which suggested tensions between Vinter and Haddad and Haddad's sidelining from the campaign. They stated the report was "completely false," explaining that the graphic depicted leaders of the party's initiative for an investigation committee, an outline developed in recent weeks while Haddad was engaged in public relations and other party responsibilities. They suggested that submitting an inquiry would have prevented the erroneous publication, noting that Vinter and Haddad were seated together at a convention with hundreds of supporters at the time the article was published.