HEALTH MINISTER JENNIFER Carroll MacNeill has responded after a four-year-old photograph of her with Israeli political candidate Yoseph Haddad resurfaced following his involvement in pro-IDF chants at Ireland’s match against Israel.

The photograph was taken during a visit by Haddad to Leinster House in February 2022.

Haddad is running as a candidate for Amcha Yisrael, a right-wing party that supports Netanyahu, in the upcoming Israeli Knesset elections next month.

Haddad, an Arab-Israeli who served in the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) and now advocates for Israel through social media and international speaking engagements, was among Israeli supporters at Sunday’s match in Hungary.

Ireland won the game 3-0 following days of controversy over whether the fixture should proceed.

Following the match, Haddad posted footage from among Israeli supporters in which chants in support of the IDF could be heard.

“Yes, we lose in football, but where we don’t lose?” Haddad said, before answering: “IDF. We always win.”

“So maybe the Irish football team beat us on the football field, but they will never, ever break the Israeli spirit,” he added, as he then joined the crowd in chanting “IDF”.

In a separate post accompanying footage from the match, Haddad wrote: “Israel’s national football team lost to Ireland’s national team on the pitch, but before the antisemites celebrate too much – remember, the IDF will defeat the terrorists they support!”

Israel’s national football team lost to Ireland’s national team on the pitch, but before the antisemites celebrate too much- remember, the IDF will defeat the terrorists they support! pic.twitter.com/yTfLxQulJf

— יוסף חדאד - Yoseph Haddad (@YosephHaddad) September 27, 2026

His appearance at the match and previous visit to Leinster House were raised by opposition TDs today.

In a statement to The Journal today, Carroll MacNeill said the photograph of Haddad and herself should not be portrayed as representing her position on Israel and Palestine.

She said she had joined both the Oireachtas Palestinian Friendship Group and the Israeli-Irish Parliamentary Group in 2020 because she supported Ireland’s longstanding position of pursuing a two-state solution.

“It was within that context of parliamentary engagement and dialogue that we met with a wide range of voices and facilitated robust discussion,” she said.

Carroll MacNeill said her position on Gaza was clear, backing the words used by Taoiseach Micheál Martin at the UN last week.

“The situation in Gaza remains an affront to all that is decent. I utterly condemn the actions of the Israeli government,” Carroll MacNeill said.

She also pointed to her support for Ireland’s recognition of Palestine, her work to “amplify Palestinian voices and support those affected by the conflict”, and her involvement in welcoming Palestinian families who travelled to Ireland for medical treatment over the past 18 months.

“It is always fair to ask questions of politicians,” Carroll MacNeill said.

It is not balanced to portray the meaning of a photograph taken at a point in time as something that it is not.

Haddad visited Leinster House on 24 February 2022 after then-Ceann Comhairle Seán Ó Fearghaíl agreed to a request from the Ireland Israel Alliance for him to address interested members of the Oireachtas.

In a statement to The Journal today, Ó Fearghaíl said a “relatively small number” of TDs and senators attended the event, including members of both the Israeli and Palestinian parliamentary friendship groups.

“The meeting was held in the context of Ireland’s long-established support for a two-state solution,” Ó Fearghaíl said, adding that it took place “well before the commencement of the current unjustifiable hostilities in Gaza”.

Those present heard Haddad’s address in the AV Room at Leinster House and took part in a question-and-answer session.

Haddad subsequently appeared by video link before the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee on 5 April 2022 to discuss the situation in the region at that time.

The photograph, which has now resurfaced, shows Carroll MacNeill and Haddad together outside Leinster House during Haddad’s in-person visit.

Speaking in the Dáil days after Haddad’s visit in March 2022, she said she belonged to both groups because of her interest in conflict resolution and desire to see Israelis and Palestinians “thrive and live well side-by-side”.

Carroll MacNeill told The Journal in 2024 that she was no longer involved with either group, saying she had automatically ceased to be a member when she became a minister of state.

Opposition criticism

Haddad’s appearance at Sunday’s match and his previous visit to Leinster House were raised several times in the Dáil today.

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett criticised the government and Football Association of Ireland (FAI) for leaving players to decide whether they were willing to play the fixture and praised goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu, who withdrew from the squad ahead of the match.

Describing the Israeli regime as a “death cult”, PBP leader Richard Boyd Barrett says the Irish government and the FAI “should hang their heads in shame” for allowing the Nations League fixtures to go ahead. pic.twitter.com/SQT5hZHLWJ

— TheJournal Politics (@TJ_Politics) September 29, 2026

Referring to the pro-IDF chants, Boyd Barrett said: “The person leading those chants in the stadium had been invited into that room right behind you here in the Dáil by the person who’s currently the Minister for Health, Yoseph Haddad.”

Solidarity TD Ruth Coppinger also raised the footage during Leaders’ Questions.

Coppinger said the Irish team had been sent into a “cauldron of racial abuse”, referring to reported monkey chants directed at Ireland striker Adam Idah as well as chants in support of the IDF.

“A video was circulated showing Yoseph Haddad, who apparently was brought into Leinster House by the Minister, Deputy Carroll MacNeill, saying that Israel may lose the football but the IDF always wins,” Coppinger said.

Tánaiste Simon Harris pushed back against Coppinger’s argument that withdrawing from the fixture would matter to Israel.

“It does not matter to Israel. Benjamin Netanyahu could not give a toss whether Ireland plays a soccer match or not, so let us be a bit real,” Harris said.

Boyd Barrett then interjected: “Why did they send Yoseph Haddad there then?”

The Ireland and Israel teams are due to meet again on Sunday, with Ireland’s nominal home fixture being played behind closed doors at a neutral venue in Serbia.