From the Liveblog of
Tuesday, August 25, 2026
Winter endorses Arab-Israeli influencer Yoseph Haddad as next public diplomacy minister
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSam Sokol is a former political correspondent at The Times of Israel. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Former general Ofer Winter, chairman of the new right-wing People of Israel party, declares that Arab-Israeli influencer Yoseph Haddad will be the country’s next public diplomacy minister, hugging the right-wing activist while supporters applaud during a campaign launch event in Jerusalem.
Addressing the crowd, Haddad insists that Israel needs a new right-wing party “that understands the mentality of the Middle East,” declaring that he intends “to be the first Arab in the Israeli security cabinet,” the key body that makes decisions on Israeli security affairs. He endorses Winter for defense minister.
Slamming the country’s Arab political parties, Haddad declares that Israel’s Arab communities need lawmakers in the Knesset who “represent them and not Gaza, Jenin and Ramallah” in the West Bank.
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