13 Facts About Hagai El-Ad

Hagai El-Ad, is an Israeli LGBT and human rights activist who served as the director general of B'Tselem between May 2014 and June 2023.

Hagai El-Ad was born on October 1,1969, in Haifa to Israeli parents of Ashkenazi Jewish origin.

Hagai El-Ad was drafted into the IDF and served in Unit 504.

Hagai El-Ad was a pre-doctoral researcher in the Astrophysics Center of Harvard University.

In 2000, El-Ad returned to Israel after concluding his studies at Harvard, and was appointed the first CEO of the Jerusalem Open House, which opened its headquarters in the Ben Yehuda Street of Jerusalem.

In 2006, Hagai El-Ad stepped down as CEO of the Open House and was replaced by Noah Satet.

On July 1,2008, Hagai El-Ad became the director of the Association for Civil Rights in Israel.

Hagai El-Ad participated in protests in Sheikh Jarrah, and was arrested by Israeli authorities.

Also participating in the discussion was Hagai El-Ad, who called for an end to the occupation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Hagai El-Ad appeared again before the Security Council, this time in an official session, on October 18,2018, and chose to devote his remarks mainly to the expected evacuation of Khan al-Ahmar and to Israel's behavior in the conflicts on the Israel-Gaza border.

Hagai El-Ad attacked the Israeli legal apparatus that allows construction in al-Ahmar, to be called "illegal" and authorizes remote sniper fire at protesters within the Gaza Strip, including the Supreme Court which he described as an accomplice in war crimes.

Elad was condemned for his remarks at the hearing by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations, Danny Danon, who said that Hagai El-Ad should be "ashamed", and by the Ambassador of the United States to the United Nations at the time, Nikki Haley.

Hagai El-Ad has elaborated on his characterization of Israel is an apartheid state, writing that it was "apartheid 2.0".