Moshe Feiglin Explains Why He Rejected Yosef Haddad Ahead of 2019 Elections
Moshe Feiglin explained why he rejected Yosef Haddad from his 2019 party list over a question of state identity, while criticizing Ofer Winter for recruiting Haddad for 'Amcha Yisrael'.
Moshe Feiglin, former chairman of the Zehut party, explained why he decided not to include public diplomacy activist Yosef Haddad in his party ahead of the 2019 elections. In an interview with the 'Yaldei HaMidrachov' podcast, Feiglin described the conversation that reportedly led to the decision and criticized Ofer Winter for choosing to add Haddad to the 'Amcha Yisrael' party.
The Controversial Question on State Identity
'Ahead of the 2019 elections, Haddad approached me and wanted to join Zehut, and I really wanted him to,' Feiglin recounted. According to him, he subsequently posed a question to Haddad: 'Are you loyal to Israel as a Jewish state or an Israeli state?' Feiglin claimed that Haddad replied 'Israeli,' and that this answer stood behind his decision not to admit him.
Feiglin compared the response he attributed to Haddad with remarks he claimed to have heard from Hamed Amar, who served alongside him in the Knesset. According to Feiglin, Amar answered the same question differently: 'I accept that Israel is a Jewish state, and if it is not Jewish, it will not exist at all.'
'I rejected Haddad and Winter accepted him. Did Winter analyze this deeply? It is clear to me that he did not,' Feiglin stated during the podcast.
Ofer Winter and the 'Amcha Yisrael' Party
As previously reported, Yosef Haddad joined the 'Amcha Yisrael' party led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter in August and was placed second on its electoral list for the Knesset. The activist, who served in the Golani Brigade and was wounded in the Second Lebanon War, explained his decision at the time by stating: 'I decided to enter the political arena out of a sense of mission and national responsibility.' He added that his intention is to continue his work from the Knesset to strengthen Israel's public diplomacy worldwide and promote partnership among all citizens of the state.
Feiglin explained the gap in responses through his view of various religions, describing Christianity and Islam as 'colonialist religions,' while arguing that the Druze faith accepts national sovereignty in the country where its adherents live. From there, he shifted to criticizing Winter's political alliance, questioning how a religious and observant man like Winter could make such a move without a deep analysis.
