Arab Israeli Advocate Yoseph Haddad Eyes Knesset Run With Fleur Hassan-Nahoum
By The Media Line Staff
Arab Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad is working to establish a new political party ahead of Israel’s next general election and is in talks about partnering with former Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, The Jerusalem Post reported Monday, citing sources close to Haddad. The move would mark a possible shift from pro-Israel advocacy into electoral politics as Israel prepares for elections that must be held no later than October.
Haddad is one of Israel’s most visible Arab public diplomacy figures. A Christian Arab from Nazareth and a veteran of the Israel Defense Forces’ Golani Brigade, he was seriously wounded in the 2006 Second Lebanon War and later founded Together Vouch for Each Other, an organization that promotes Arab integration into Israeli society.
The possible party bid follows months of speculation about whether Haddad could convert his public profile and large social media following into Knesset seats. Israel Hayom reported last week that Haddad had begun taking practical steps toward entering politics, including meeting with a lawyer who specializes in party formation. People close to Haddad told the outlet, “Big things are coming.”
A February Midgam Institute poll, commissioned by people close to Haddad and reported by Israel Hayom, found that a party led by him could win four Knesset seats, enough to cross Israel’s electoral threshold. The same report said such a list could draw votes from Likud, Otzma Yehudit, and former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, whose Bennett 2026 party is running on the Together electoral list with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid. Haddad’s entry into the race could potentially affect the balance between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc and the opposition.
At the time of the February poll, Haddad said, “All options are on the table.”
Hassan-Nahoum, who was born in England, served as deputy mayor of Jerusalem from 2018 to 2023 and previously sat on the Jerusalem City Council. She now serves as special envoy for trade innovation at the Foreign Affairs Ministry and as secretary-general of Kol Israel, a faction of the World Zionist Congress.
A Haddad-Hassan-Nahoum list would likely seek voters looking for a Zionist, civic-integration platform centered on Arab participation in Israeli public life, national service, and a more inclusive Israeli identity. Whether that becomes a viable Knesset bid or another election-season trial balloon will depend on organization, funding, alliances, and the unforgiving math of Israel’s electoral threshold.
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