Sharren Haskel Launches New Right-Wing Party Israel First After Government Exit

Knesset member Sharren Haskel has officially launched a new right-wing political platform called "Israel First," days after resigning from her role as Deputy Foreign Minister. Haskel, who criticized her party leader, Minister Gideon Sa'ar, upon her departure, is positioning the new party as a clear alternative for voters disillusioned with the current right-wing establishment. The party’s central issue is opposition to the current military draft law, which Haskel describes as a decisive dividing line.

The new party aims to represent what it calls the "political homeless" within the national and liberal right, pledging to end what it terms the "sellout of Zionism" and resist concessions to sectoral pressures. The launch is accompanied by a digital campaign titled "The Right Opens Its Eyes," signaling a fresh political home for those who identify as Zionist and support a security-focused, national, and liberal right-wing agenda.

Haskel emphasized that the old political order prioritized sectoral interests over the soldiers and fighters on the front lines. She declared that "Israel First" will ensure that anyone who defines themselves as Zionist and refuses to accept political deals at the expense of those serving in the military will have a political home. This move follows internal tensions within the Likud party, where a third of members reportedly organized to oust Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting broader shifts in the Israeli right-wing political landscape.