Yoseph Haddad (Arabic:يوسف حداد;Hebrew:יוסף חדאד; born(1985-09-03)3 September 1985) is anArab-Israeli journalist and activist who advocates for Israel on social media and international speaking tours. He is the founder ofTogether – Vouch for Each Other [he] which works to integrate Arab Israelis into larger Israeli society. Since the beginning of theGaza war, Haddad has become more widely known in Israel. He has been recognized by Israeli media and the Israeli Foreign Ministry for his pro-Israel advocacy.
According to Haddad, he decided to volunteer for the IDF in 2003 after theMaxim restaurant suicide bombing that killed 21 Israelis, including several Israeli Arabs.[5][6] At his request, he was accepted into theGolani Brigade[7][2] and became a commander.[8][9]
In 2018, he established Together – Vouch for Each Other with the aim of working for the integration and connection of the Arab sector with Israeli society,[8] and since then he has headed it and serves as the CEO of the association.[23] As part of Together – Vouch for Each Other, he encourages and supports Israeli Arabs to volunteer for the IDF andnational-civilian service.[8][6] Together – Vouch for Each Other was credited with initiating the first living room memorial Holocaust education event in Arab-Israeli society in 2019[24] and the firstHolocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in the United Arab Emirates in 2021.[25][26] In 2022, the group traveled toAuschwitz to participate in theMarch of the Living.[15]
In March 2021, several members of theUN Human Rights Council accused Israel of racism, stating that Israel was not adequately providingCOVID-19 vaccinations to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. Appearing before the council on behalf ofUN Watch, Haddad disputed the allegations of racism, stating that hundreds of thousands of Israeli Arabs had been vaccinated and that Israel was also vaccinating thousands ofPalestinian workers.[27][28] Later that year, authorSally Rooney announced that she would not allow an Israeli company to translate her bookBeautiful World, Where Are You into Hebrew because of her support for theBDS movement. After Haddad organized a boycott campaign, two Israeli book sellers decided to stop selling her work.[29][30]
Haddad at the Heroes of the Home Front ceremony, 2024.
Since the beginning of theGaza war, Haddad has become more widely known in Israel.[11][23] He began an extensive information campaign on social media, in favor of Israel and against the actions ofHamas andIslamic Jihad.[31][32] He posts in multiple languages, including Hebrew, Arabic, and English.[4] As of October 2023, he had 500,000 Instagram followers and 200,000 TikTok followers.[33] By March 2025, he had 850,000 followers on Instagram, most of whom followed him during the Gaza war.[2][11] During the war, Haddad has been a frequent contributor to Israeli TV channels including i24NEWS andChannel 14;[2]HaAyin HaShevi'it found that he accounted for a large proportion of Israeli media appearances by Israeli Arabs.[34][35]
In a November 2024Oxford Union debate, Haddad joinedNatasha Hausdorff,Jonathan Sacerdoti, andMosab Hassan Yousef in arguing against the proposition: "This House Believes Israel is anapartheid state responsible forgenocide". The event was contentious: the audience booed Haddad's speech and he called them "terrorist supporters". Later, while being removed from the room by event staff, Haddad put on a shirt with the text "Your terrorist is dead" and a picture ofHassan Nasrallah. The proposition passed.[42][43]
In early 2025, Haddad publishedLet Me Explain, which became anIsrael Hayom bestseller.[44] He called the book "an opportunity to lay out my complete vision". In the book, he recounts the story of his life and his views on the Arab-Israeli conflict,[11] including his support for Israel's use of military force to resolve the conflict and his vision for achieving a "partnership" between Israeli Arabs and Jews. He writes that most Israeli Arabs want to integrate into Israeli society; this statement was disputed in a review inHaaretz.[45][2] The review also argued that it is unlikely that Haddad will be able to help Jews and Arabs reconcile, given the Palestinian community's negative opinion of him.[2]
Personal life
Haddad identifies as an Israeli Arab.[1][13] He is engaged toEmily Schrader, an Israeli American journalist and fellow activist.[46][4] He proposed to her on a work trip to theGaza envelope during the2021 Israel–Palestine crisis "with soldiers and police in the background and amid the noise of Air Force jets bombing Gaza".[47][3]
In October 2024, Haddad was awarded 24,000 shekels after suing a left-wing Israeli activist for defamation.[48][49] In July 2025, Haddad was arrested after firing a gun during a brawl with another man on a road inJaffa.[50] According to Haddad's lawyer, an Israeli Arab man recognized Haddad and attacked him due to “racism and hatred”.[51] The other man accused Haddad of starting the fight.[52] The police said the incident appeared to be motivated byroad rage[53] rather than racism.[52]
Views
Haddad opposes theBDS movement.[23][47] Haddad has criticized theNationality Bill for removing Arabic as an official language of Israel.[6][54] Although Haddad recognizes that Arab Israelis experience discrimination, he opposes the characterization ofIsrael as an apartheid state,[4] stating that Arab Israelis are "an integral part of the Israeli society".[9] He has written opinion pieces on the topic,[55] including one where he argued that using the term to describe Israel diminishes and cheapens the suffering of Black South Africans who lived underapartheid for many years.[54] In 2021, Haddad appeared before theIrish parliament to disputeAmnesty International's report alleging Israeli apartheid.[30][56]
Haddad's views are consideredright wing.[2][57][58] According to Haddad he gave interviews before theOctober 7 attacks where he warned that Israel was not doing enough to stopHamas.[13][4] He opposes the view that Israel is committinggenocide in Gaza and believes that Israel is "freeing the Middle East" and "saving the entire world".[4][9] To create peace in the Arab-Israeli conflict, he advocates for changing the Palestinian education curriculum[9] and that, in Israel, Israeli Arabs should learn Hebrew and that Jews should learn Arabic.[4]
Haddad has received recognition for his pro-Israel advocacy.Israel Hayom has said he is: "one of Israel's most vital representatives on the world stage and across social media",[11] andCalcalist said he is "one of the most eloquent and influential speakers for the State of Israel".[13]The Jerusalem Post has also praised Haddad's advocacy and communication skills while noting his "sometimes outrageous persona".[23][4]Haaretz has referred to him as "Israel's favorite Arab hasbarista".[59]
Haddad has been recognized on lists of pro-Israel influencers, including lists byThe Jerusalem Post[60] and theJewish News Syndicate.[61] Haddad received the Light of Israel prize from theIsraeli Foreign Ministry in 2021 and the Begin Prize in 2022.[62][23] For his work during the Gaza war, theZionist Council in Israel recognized him as one of 16 "Heroes of the Home Front" in 2024.[63][64] In May 2024, he was selected to light a torch at theIsraeli Independence Day celebration for his contributions tohasbara.[65][66] The following month,Ariel University granted him an honorary degree for his "relentless efforts in combating anti-Semitism, fostering unity among diverse populations, and presenting Israel's true face to the world".[67][68]
According to his lawyers, he has received death threats and been physically attacked because of his pro-Israel advocacy.[52] Haddad has stated that he has "been called much worse than a traitor".[47] While on aStandWithUs speaking tour of British universities in early 2023, Haddad was met by crowds of protesters.[69] He stated that he had to be escorted off ofNottingham University campus for safety reasons.[70] That August, he reported that some Israeli Arabs attacked him and his family on a flight from Dubai, injuring his mother and calling him "the traitor, the dog".[22][71] In April 2024, a scheduled appearance by Haddad atColumbia University was canceled after he was allegedly assaulted by a protester.[72]
Haddad has been accused of contributing tomisinformation during the Gaza war, including sharing the false claim that a photo of a dead Gazan child actually depicted a doll.[73][74][75] The Palestinian community has criticized him[23] as ignoring the discrimination they face and using his Arab identity to further the aims of the Israeli government.[52][76] According toHaaretz, his views are not reflective of the views of the majority of Palestinians in Israel.[2]
^סיריוטי, דניאל (7 April 2021).לראשונה: אירועי זיכרון לשואה במפרץ [For the first time: Holocaust memorial events in the Emirates].Israel Hayom (in Hebrew). Retrieved17 October 2023.
^פרסיקו, אורן (29 October 2024).חדאד יקבל כ-24 אלף שקל [Haddad will receive approximately 24,000 shekels.].HaAyin HaShevi'it (in Hebrew). Retrieved21 November 2025.
^רביד, אור (30 July 2025).הגרסה של יוסף חדאד: "רוכב הקטנוע איים לרצוח אותי" [After the ball was thrown: 5 days of house arrest for Hasbara activist Yosef Haddad].N12 (in Hebrew). Retrieved21 November 2025.
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