Deputy Foreign Minister Sharren Haskel Resigns, Accuses Gideon Sa'ar of Lying

Sharren Haskel, a member of the Knesset and Deputy Foreign Minister, submitted her resignation from her government post to Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar on Wednesday. Sa'ar, who recently served as chairman of the New Hope party which Haskel left, was directly criticized in her resignation letter where she accused him of lying to her and the Israeli public. Haskel announced her intention to resign immediately after the Knesset approved a controversial law ending the detention of yeshiva students, a move she said conflicted with her right-wing values and support for the IDF.

Her resignation will take effect 48 hours after submission, coinciding with the expected dissolution of the 25th Knesset. Concurrently, Haskel requested to split from the New Hope faction to form a single-member faction, aiming to strengthen her political leverage in future coalition negotiations by maintaining party funding rights. However, this move faces legal challenges as she does not meet the required minimum of one-third of a faction's members.

New Hope responded sharply on its official X account, accusing Haskel of attempting to extort party funding to secure a Knesset seat and described her faction split as baseless and improper under the law. Haskel defended her resignation by stating she could no longer support legislation she believes harms soldiers and national security, emphasizing her decision to prioritize Israel and stand with IDF soldiers and the Zionist majority.