Israeli Activist Yosef Hadad Rejects Gadi Eisenkot's Comparison to Mansour Abbas

Yosef Hadad, an Israeli Arab public relations activist, expressed strong opposition to a comparison made by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot during a Channel 13 interview. Eisenkot was asked whether he ruled out a coalition partnership with Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, and responded that he did not, citing Hadad's name in his explanation. Hadad said he was shocked and confused by the comparison, which seemed to imply that because Hadad is an Arab and accepted, Abbas should be as well.

Hadad challenged Eisenkot directly, emphasizing that aside from their shared Arab identity, they have nothing in common. He highlighted his own background as a disabled IDF veteran and founder of an Israeli Arab NGO promoting partnership and loyalty to the state, contrasting this with Abbas, whose party is linked to an organization accused of funding terror groups including Hamas. Hadad condemned Abbas's approach and the Arab parties in the Knesset, calling for their boycott not because they are Arab but because they are anti-Israel.

Hadad also addressed rumors about his own political ambitions, stating he is considering entering politics but has not made any decisions yet. He reiterated his firm stance against the current Arab parties in the Israeli parliament, insisting that equating him with Abbas solely based on ethnicity is racist, while boycotting those parties for their anti-Israel positions is not.

This public disagreement highlights ongoing tensions within the Israeli Arab community and the broader political discourse around Arab parties' roles in Israeli politics.