Tel Aviv Magistrates’ Court on Monday extended the house arrest of Arab-Israeli influencer Yoseph Haddad citing “reasonable suspicion” that he unlawfully discharged his firearm during a road rage incident on July 30.
The outspoken pro-Israel influencer was arrested last week and his legally-registered handgun confiscated after being involved in an altercation with a motorcyclist on a road in Jaffa. Israeli police said they responded to a report of a “fight between drivers”.
Haddad was detained on Wednesday after he allegedly fired a single bullet. His lawyer has claimed he was subjected to a “racist attack” but police have suggested it was an argument over road use. No injuries were reported and Haddad has not been charged with any crime.
The incident, which took place in Tel Aviv’s Jaffa neighborhood, started when an Arab motorcyclist recognised Haddad while he was driving and blocked the road, according to the pro-Israel activist’s legal team.
The assailant “called me a ‘spy’ and a ‘traitor’ in Arabic,” Haddad claimed in a statement cited by Israel’s Kan News.
“The car window was open, and he then spat at me and tried to attack me.
“I defended myself and a confrontation broke out. That’s when I drew my gun to push him away, and a shot was fired,” he alleged.
Israel Police said at the time that the incident “stemmed from a dispute over road use in which the car driver, who claimed he felt threatened, drew his firearm, cocked it and fired from within his vehicle.”
The force had requested that Haddad’s home detention be extended for five more days, but the court decided to do so for three. Attorney Ephraim Damari, who represents Haddad, said he intended to appeal the court’s decision.
According to Ynet, Haddad’s lawyers claim he is frequently under threat from extremists within the Arab community, who see him as a “traitor".
Born in Haifa, the right-wing influencer, 39, is an Orthodox Christian and served in the Golani Brigade in the IDF.
Known for his confrontational style of advocacy against anti-Israel narratives, he was recently in London as part of a delegation of Arab Israelis outside SOAS to “dispel the myth” of Israeli apartheid, as part of the group he founded Vouch for Each Other.
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