A prominent pro-Israel activist said he and his family were attacked while boarding a flight in Dubai by what he alleges were Arab Israelis opposed to his advocacy.
Yoseph Haddad said they were attacked while boarding a Tel Aviv-bound plane in Dubai on Saturday.
On the plane, an Arab Israeli began filming him, thrusting a smartphone camera right in front of his face, while hurling derogatory remarks such as "Here is the traitor, the dog."
Another man joined in and intensified the insults. Haddad took out his own phone in response to document the incident, prompting the two men to knock the phone out of his hand.
Haddad also claimed that his mother was injured in the attack and posted a picture of her bandaged hand on Twitter. He accused the group of “attacking us only because of who I am, my views, and my work for the State of Israel.”
הנה קטע קצר מסרטון שצילם אחד התוקפים שלי ושל משפחתי.
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) August 27, 2023
חוץ מהאלימות והקללות שימו לב לצביעות- הבן אדם נמצא על מטוס מדובאי לישראל, בזכות הסכמי השלום שמדינת ישראל עשתה, ועוד תוקף אותי ואומר שאני בוגד... צביעות בהתגלמותה! pic.twitter.com/AmsSRrdYtJ
Haddad added: “I want all the attackers and the rest of those who think they will stop me through violence and intimidation to know that despite you I will continue with all my strength.”
He later told Israel’s Channel 12 that his family was traumatised by the incident, adding: “The difficulty was seeing my mother crying and seeing her in pain, understanding that she was injured.
“Seeing my 70-year-old father who had to stand up and protect me, my nephews crying. We were in a storm of emotions.”
He thanked the Dubai authorities for addressing the incident, as well as personally thanking “Israeli ambassador to the Emirates Amir Hayek, the consuls Liron Zaslansky and Danny Gadot, the Foreign Ministry spokesman Lior Hait and my dear friend Ido Daniel for the interest and follow-up of the late-night hours from afar.” Haddad said that they were back in Israel, “and we are free.”
Haddad is the chief executive of Together–Vouch For Each Other, an organisation he founded in 2018 that works to bridge the gap between Israel’s Arab sector and wider Israeli society.
He also is active on social media, posting sometimes harsh encounters with anti-Israel activists at events around the world.
عيلتي وانا تعرضنا للعُنف بوقت الطلعه على الطياره من دبي لاسرائيل من قِبَل كم شخص من مجتمعي الي عرفوني وتهجموا علينا بس لانهن عرفوني، وبعرفوا شو عملي بدولة اسرائيل . التهجم كان كلامي وجسدي وامي تصاوبت بايدها (الصوره مرفقه).
— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) August 26, 2023
شخصياً بدي اشكر السلطات بدبي على الاهتمام بالامر وعلى… pic.twitter.com/LDQYWEfIOz
Born in Haifa, Haddad moved with his family to Nazareth at the age of three. During the Second Lebanon War in 2006, he was severely wounded by a Hezbollah missile.
After a lengthy recovery process, he decided to advocate on behalf of Israel, including fighting the BDS movement and working to improve relations between Jews and Arabs.
Haddad has also been subjected to abuse from Pro-Palestinian protesters during a visit to the UK in February. He was invited to Britain by Israel education organisation Stand With Us UK to speak at various events.
Whilst making a speech at UCL, a large group of protesters stormed the event and called for 'intifada' and 'revolution'. An intifada is a rebellion or uprising, and in this context, it refers to Palestinians using violence against Israel.
Meanwhile, during a separate speech at Nottingham University, he was chased by an angry mob off the campus.
Haddad says he was also sworn at and abused by around 70 pro-Palestinian activists during his speech at the university.
