Haddad Defends Past Statements on Abbas, Cites Netanyahu's Engagement

Activist Yosef Haddad, a prominent figure in the Am Israel party, strongly criticized his detractors on Friday, particularly concerning the distorted presentation of his 2021 remarks about Mansour Abbas, the head of Ra'am. Haddad asserted that his past statements are being misrepresented and highlighted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also engaged with Abbas and worked to legitimize cooperation with him.

Haddad noted that critics are focusing on his past comments about Abbas's "half-step" in joining the coalition. He then turned the criticism towards the treatment of Netanyahu, claiming the Prime Minister himself previously promoted cooperation with Abbas. "I am sure they will be even more hysterical when they discover that Prime Minister Netanyahu invited him to Balfour several times that year and even met him with Rabbi Druckman to legitimize him! This surely just slipped their minds... The message is clear: the same standard for Netanyahu and for Yosef Haddad," Haddad wrote.

In a separate post, Haddad directly addressed Channel 11 journalist Michael Shemesh regarding a published clip of his 2021 remarks about an Arab party joining the coalition. Haddad stated, "The campaign against me and against the Am Israel party continues with more pathetic attempts to recycle clips from the past and present them today in a distorted manner." He explained that the statements attributed to him were not new revelations, as he had written about the subject in his book, referencing page 77 where he discussed Abbas's move.

Haddad quoted from his book, stating that Mansour Abbas spoke of recognizing the Jewish state and wanting to influence from within, even taking a practical step by joining the Bennett-Lapid government's coalition. However, Haddad emphasized that while acknowledging Abbas's political move, he also expressed significant criticism of his approach, particularly regarding his stance on terror organizations and the integration of Arab society in Israel. Haddad noted that Abbas was unable to "call Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations, and encourage social integration in the country, including national service."

Despite his criticisms, Haddad reiterated the importance of Abbas's political move at the time, writing in his book that even the "half-step" was significant. He explained that Abbas's recognition of Israel as a Jewish state and his participation in the coalition demonstrated that Arab representatives could integrate into decision-making centers in Israel, thereby aiding Israel's public diplomacy against claims of an apartheid regime. Haddad concluded by attacking those spreading his old statements, accusing them of trying to portray him as an Abbas supporter, contrary to his current positions. He stressed that his political goal is to replace Abbas and current Arab Knesset members, partly by garnering support from within Arab society that is proud to be part of Israel.