MK Stern Resigns, Slams Knesset Speaker Ohana in Fiery Letter

Member of Knesset Elazar Stern, who recently left the Yesh Atid party to join Benny Gantz's National Unity party, submitted his resignation from the Knesset on Monday. Stern met with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana earlier in the day and subsequently delivered his resignation letter. However, instead of a standard, brief departure notice, Stern included a scathing missive accusing Ohana of damaging the Knesset's standing and undermining the separation of powers.

In his letter, Stern asserted that the Knesset's status had been severely harmed during Ohana's tenure as speaker. "I believe the status of the current Knesset has been very badly damaged, and your significant contribution to this cannot be ignored," Stern wrote. He accused Ohana of effectively abolishing the separation of powers in Israel by turning the Knesset into a tool of the government, thereby eliminating its ability to oversee government operations.

Stern further alleged that Ohana had transformed the Knesset into a "trampled authority" by the government and used his position to disrespect the judicial system, causing significant damage to public trust in state institutions. He also accused Ohana of exacerbating societal divisions, arguing that instead of promoting national unity, Ohana had turned the speaker's chair into a platform for "incitement, division, and schism."

Stern linked Ohana's conduct to the societal rifts that preceded the October 7th attack, claiming that the way the Knesset was managed deepened divisions rather than strengthening common ground among Israelis. This criticism is not new; Stern recently stated in an interview that he aims to replace Ohana as Knesset speaker if National Unity forms the next government, calling Ohana's behavior "disgraceful" and accusing him of turning the parliament into a "Likud center."

In response, Speaker Ohana dismissed Stern's letter as a "baseless manifesto," suggesting it was a publicity stunt for election campaigning and that the letter belonged "in the shredder."