Israel is approaching another election, and once again the political temperature is rising. Israelis will argue about Benjamin Netanyahu, the opposition, security, religion, the judicial system, the future of Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and almost every other issue imaginable.

That is democracy. Israelis have every right to have those arguments.

But those of us who advocate for Israel abroad should ask ourselves a different question: Are we defending Israel, or are we defending our preferred version of Israel?

The distinction matters enormously.

The recent move of prominent Arab Israeli advocate Yoseph Haddad toward politics makes that question particularly relevant. Reports this week indicate that a new party called Israel Be’ometz, or Brave Israel, has been registered on his behalf, while discussions about possible political partners continue. Haddad has publicly acknowledged for months that he was considering entering politics.

I want to make something clear from the beginning. This is not an attack on Haddad’s right to enter politics. He is an Israeli citizen, an IDF veteran who was wounded during the Second Lebanon War, and a man who has spent years publicly defending Israel. He has every democratic right to stand for election, establish a party and try to convince Israelis to vote for him.

But his transition from advocacy to politics illustrates something I have believed for a long time.

Advocacy and politics are not the same profession.

In fact, Haddad himself once understood this dilemma remarkably well. In an earlier interview, when discussing offers from political parties, he explained that publicly identifying with one political camp would undermine his ability to represent Israel more broadly.

That observation was correct.

Once an advocate becomes a politician, everything changes.

A politician must choose sides. A politician must compete. A politician must attack opponents, defend positions,........

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