Yoseph Haddad
يوسف حداد
Born (1985-09-03) 3 September 1985
Haifa, Israel
CitizenshipIsraeli
Occupation(s)Journalist, Pro-Israel advocate, CEO of "Together – Vouch for Each Other"
Known forSocial activism, political advocacy

Yoseph Haddad (Arabic: يوسف حدّاد; Hebrew: יוסף חדאד; born 3 September 1985) is an Arab-Israeli journalist and advocacy activist for Israel,[1][2] a social activist in Arab-Israeli society, social media influencer, and CEO of the 'Together – Vouch for Each Other' association that works to connect the Arab-Israeli society to the broader Israeli society.[3] The Jewish National Fund and Israeli media outlets have hailed Haddad as a staunch "defender of Israel" since "his time defending Israel as a member of the Israel Defense Forces."[4][5] He suffered severe injuries during his army service in the 2006 Lebanon War.[3]

Early life

Yoseph Haddad is an Arab-Israeli Orthodox Christian, who was born in Haifa, Israel. His mother was a teacher and his father was a priest, businessman and civil aviator.[6] Later the family moved to Nazareth, Israel, where he attended the Don Bosco Technological High School named after Giovanni Bosco. In 2003, he volunteered for the IDF and served in the Golani Brigade. He completed the squad commanders course with honors and served as a platoon commander and sergeant.[6] In a 2023 interview with the Indigenous Coalition for Israel, Haddad reflected on his service stating he was very well respected as an Arab and as a volunteer.[7]

Towards the end of his service, in July 2006, the Second Lebanon War broke out.[8] During the war his battalion fought in the Battle of Bint Jbeil, in which eight soldiers were killed including the battalion commander Roi Klein. As a result, the battalion was awarded a citation, however, towards the end of the war on August 10, a 9M133 Kornet missile fired by Hezbollah forces hit a wall near Haddad.[8][3] As a result of the blast, Haddad was seriously wounded by shrapnel in his right foot and it needed to be amputated. He was also injured in several other places.[9] Haddad was evacuated under fire and underwent treatment and rehabilitation for about a year. During surgery, his foot was reattached and he was defined as an IDF disabled veteran.[6] Haddad admits he struggles with post-traumatic stress.[10]

Haddad began his undergraduate studies in political science at Bar-Ilan University but turned to advocacy and did not complete his studies. He is a graduate of the LEAD20 program for young leaders from around the world at MIT and served as project manager and operations manager at a market research company.[11]

Career

He lectures around the world, and in the past also lectured at an official TED event. In early 2021 he joined the i24NEWS channel where he broadcasts in Arabic and English.[12][13][14] He also writes columns on other sites such as Israel Hayom[1] and The Marker.[2][15]

As part of the "Together – Vouch for Each Other" association, he promotes educational, social activities and integration of Arab-Israeli citizens from all Arab communities in Israeli society, such as by encouraging and supporting volunteers for national-civilian service. Haddad does this with the goal of influencing young people in the Arab sector to embrace their Israeli identity and lead them to feel a sense of belonging to the state.[13][8]

Public and pro-Israeli advocacy activities

Haddad and activists from the "Together – Vouch for Each Other" association at a living room memorial event in Kisra-Sumei, April 2019

Haddad began his advocacy activities as part of Reservists on Duty and works on behalf of Israeli advocacy across America, Europe and South Africa. Specifically, he speaks out against the BDS movement's boycott campaign against Israel and against new manifestations of antisemitism on university campuses. In May 2018 he established the "Together – Vouch for Each Other" association with the aim of working for the integration and connection of the Arab sector with Israeli society, and since then he has headed it and serves as the CEO of the association.[16][13]

From time to time, he appears at colleges across the world to talk about Israeli society and what it is like to live in Israel. During Apartheid Week in South Africa he confronted and criticized the leader of the BDS organization in a prime time program there.[17]

Haddad is occasionally interviewed on English-language media channels, and sometimes also on Arab media channels in Arabic. For example, he was interviewed on the Al Arabiya network. During Operation Guardian of the Walls he was interviewed by various media outlets around the world and spread content that reached millions.[17][15]

In March 2021 at a discussion in the UN Human Rights Council, Iran, Qatar and the Palestinian Territories attacked Israel and accused it of running a racist vaccination program. After them, Haddad was given the floor on behalf of UN Watch and responded against their accusations.[18]

Haddad is interviewed on Israeli media channels, where he sometimes confronts various representatives of the Arab sector. For example, he criticized the nature of a protest against Arab Sector crime rates and the authorities' helplessness, where Arab protesters waved Palestinian flags, as Israeli citizens spoke of targeted crime against Jews. Haddad is also critical of Israeli media, for example on Channel 13, when they presented a category that classified terrorist attacks as being perpetrated for "personal motives" instead of Palestinian aggression and hate.[19]

Haddad participates in committee and conference discussions in the Knesset.[20][21] Alongside his participation in issues related to the Arab society, he also participates in the lobby to prevent the BDS movement, and in the struggle to preserve freedom of expression on social media. Moreover, Haddad lobbies companies to stop enabling support for terror and incitement of violence against Jews and Israelis. Among his messages in the committee discussions, Haddad also repeats the need for the Jewish society to know the Arabic language and learn it at school.[7]

Haddad is considered a social media influencer,[22] and his activity on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Telegram have many followers. Among other things, he also creates explanatory videos in Arabic, English and Hebrew, which help advocacy through social media and YouTube, embedding them online as explanatory materials. Ahead of the 2021 Israeli presidential elections he published his support for Miriam Peretz.[23]

Haddad is active in rapprochement initiatives between Palestinian and Jewish societies. Among other things, as part of the "Together – Vouch for Each Other" association he initiated the first living room memorial event in Arab-Israeli society in 2019,[24] the first Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in an Arab state,[25] and the first ceremony on Memorial Day for IDF fallen in the Arab society at a memorial site dedicated to Arabs who died whilst serving.[26] Haddad himself is invited to appear and represent at various official ceremonies and conferences such as the 2019 Yom Hashoah event in Florida the 2020 ceremony on the Day of Appreciation for Israel's Wounded Soldiers and Victims of Hostilities[27] and at the annual IAC Israeli-American community conference in December 2021. This is in order to make the memory of the Holocaust accessible to the Arab society in Israel and worldwide.[26]

Haddad is a member of the "Journey to the Common Valley" forum, an initiative for joint dialogue on disputes and gaps in Israeli society.[28][29]

In April 2020 Yousef Haddad was selected to the list of 50 pro-Israel influencers, by SOCIAL LITE CREATIVE,[30] and in November he was selected to the list of 40 online influencers for Israel, by the Jewish-American media company Jewish News Syndicate.[31]

In December 2021, Haddad, alongside other figures, was awarded the "Light of Israel" prize at a ceremony by the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The winners at the ceremony came from various fields, where they represented Israel in the world by excelling in their professional arena alongside activity for Israel's image in the media and on social networks.[32]

On December 20, 2022, he was awarded the Begin Prize for the year 5783 (2022) alongside David Averny and the Or LaMishpachot association.[33]

Criticism and praise

Palestinian and pro Palestinians activists regard Haddad's Israeli advocacy as one sided and biased. Some criticize his speeches as 'propaganda' and label Haddad a 'traitor' to the Arab cause.[34] Palestinian media outlets frequently condemn Haddad for defending Israel and state that he ignores Palestinian suffering. They further accuse Haddad of ignoring what Arab media outlets term Israeli Occupation.[35][36][37][38][39]

In August 2023, Haddad claimed he was 'physically and verbally assaulted' by Arab Israelis who identified him at Dubai Airport. He also claimed that his mother, who accompanied him on the trip, sustained minor injuries to her arm. There were no reported arrests from the alleged incident.[40][41]

The Indigenous Coalition for Israel, a New Zealand based collective of indigenous voices in support of Israel, interviewed Haddad and stated he is an asset to Israel and its population.[42]

References

  1. 1 2 www.israelhayom.com https://www.israelhayom.com/writer/yoseph-haddad/. Retrieved 17 October 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. 1 2 "יוסף חדאד - TheMarker". www.themarker.com (in Hebrew). 11 May 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 "'I'm Proud to be an Arab, Proud to be an Israeli,' Says Leading Changemaker | United with Israel". UWI. 27 December 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  4. ↑ "Yoseph Haddad". jnf.org. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  5. ↑ Green, Ann. "Yoseph Haddad: Arab, Christian, Defender of Israel". JewishBoston. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 "A short film about Yosef Haddad, on the 13th anniversary of his injury in the Second Lebanon War | عرب | By 4IL | Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  7. 1 2 Yoseph Haddad interviewed by Dr Sheree Trotter, retrieved 12 November 2023
  8. 1 2 3 Haddad, Yoseph (26 February 2021), A Traitor or a Hero; My Double Identity, retrieved 17 October 2023
  9. ↑ "הצעיר הערבי מנצרת שמעודד את המגזר לעלות על מדים". www.makorrishon.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  10. ↑ "יש לי PTSD. או בעברית- פוסט טראומה". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  11. ↑ "מנכ"ל העמותה". ביחד - עֲרֵבִים זה לזה (in Hebrew). 12 July 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  12. ↑ i24NEWS contributor Yoseph Haddad attacked on return flight to Israel
  13. 1 2 3 Yoseph Haddad & i24: 10 Facts About Israeli Arabs, retrieved 17 October 2023
  14. ↑ Interview with Yoseph Haddad at channel I24, retrieved 17 October 2023
  15. 1 2 "Yoseph Haddad". jnf.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  16. ↑ "SummaryTime". 102fm.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  17. 1 2 חדאד, יוסף (22 June 2021). "הזילות הבלתי נסבלת של השימוש ב"אפרטהייד"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  18. ↑ Yoseph Haddad on UN's Pillay Report, retrieved 17 October 2023
  19. ↑ "‏אין דבר כזה "פיגועים על רקע אישי". אין!". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  20. ↑ השדולה למען המאבק בתנועת ה-BDS והחרם על ישראל - 17.11.21
  21. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  22. ↑ "The unofficial explainers of Israel". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  23. ↑ "Facebook". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ↑ "Because of the corona virus: a Holocaust memorial project in Arab society - at risk". www.makorrishon.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ↑ "For the first time: Holocaust memorial events in the Emirates". www.israelhayom.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  26. 1 2 יוסף חדאד בערוץ 13- סיכום אירוע הזיכרון ליום השואה בדובאי, retrieved 17 October 2023
  27. ↑ ynet (3 December 2020). "משדר מיוחד: מחבקים את פצועי מערכות ישראל ופעולות האיבה". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  28. ↑ "חדשות בן עזר - 1612". benyehuda.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  29. ↑ "The initiative to breathe some brotherhood into the conflicted Israeli society". www.makorrishon.co.il. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  30. ↑ "2021 Top 50 Pro-Israelis". Top Pro-Israelis. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  31. ↑ Traiman, Alex (15 November 2020). "JNS top 40 global advocates for Israel online". JNS.org. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  32. ↑ טקס האור של ישראל התקיים במשרד החוץ
  33. ↑ יוסף חדאד מקבל את פרס בגין לשנת 2022, retrieved 17 October 2023
  34. ↑ A Traitor or a Hero; My Double Identity | Yoseph Haddad | TEDxIDCHerzliya, retrieved 19 October 2023
  35. ↑ "What 'Apartheid?' Arab-Israeli Slams Libel Spread by Media | United with Israel". UWI. 18 January 2021. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  36. ↑ شخصيات (28 August 2023). "من هو يوسف حداد الخاين". ترند نت.
  37. ↑ "من هو الخائن يوسف حداد اسرائيل - فيديو شتم وضرب يوسف حداد الخائن - حل السؤال". al7suwal.com. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  38. ↑ محمود (27 August 2023). "من هو يوسف حداد اسرائيل الخاين". فاصل نيوز (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  39. ↑ "فيديو شتم وضرب يوسف حداد الخائن - صحيفة ترانيم". trend.mslslat.info (in Arabic). 3 September 2023. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  40. ↑ ToI Staff. "Arab Israeli activist says he was assaulted at UAE airport over pro-Israel advocacy". www.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  41. ↑ "دبي تشهد هجوماً على مندوب إسرائيلي أتى للترويج لدولة الاحتلال". موقع الدكتور عدنان ابو عامر (in Arabic). Retrieved 19 October 2023.
  42. ↑ "Is Terrorism Ever Justified?". Indigenous Coalition For Israel. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
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