MK Sharren Haskel Files Urgent Supreme Court Petition Over Party Split Amid Political Dispute

MK Sharren Haskel, chairwoman of the Israel Ahead party, has launched a legal and political battle against the coalition leadership and her former faction to approve her split from the State Right party and establish a single-member faction. On Thursday, the day the Knesset is expected to dissolve, Haskel filed an urgent petition to the Supreme Court against Knesset Committee Chair MK Ofir Katz, accusing the committee of delaying her request to split in order to undermine her legal rights.

This move follows her opposition to the merger of Tikva Hadasha with Likud and her resignation as Deputy Foreign Minister. The issue sparked heated debate on the morning show "Israel Haboker," where political analyst Eliran Tal criticized Haskel's actions as a "sad joke," suggesting she knew she had no place in the Knesset or Likud and was instead pursuing a political deal to secure party funding rather than acting on ideology.

Haskel responded in her petition, stating that the Israeli public is tired of political deals and that recent weeks have seen reckless and immoral legislation. She demanded the court enforce Section 59 of the Knesset Law to recognize the official merger between State Right and Likud and allow her to split as a single-member faction. She emphasized the importance of upholding Israeli law for proper governance.

Tal further argued that Haskel's party is barely polling above the electoral threshold and predicted continued behind-the-scenes attempts to join other political platforms. The conflict began with the Tikva Hadasha-Likud merger, which required members including Gideon Sa'ar to run in primaries, a move Haskel opposed, leading to her resignation.

The approval of Haskel's split is crucial for her political survival, but the Knesset Committee's delay represents the coalition's effort to block her moves before the final dissolution of the Knesset. This leaves Haskel racing against time and legal proceedings ahead of the 2026 elections.