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.”
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.
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.
