Israeli Supreme Court Rejects Sharren Haskel's Petition Against Likud-Religious Zionist Joint List

The Israeli Supreme Court rejected a petition filed by Knesset member Sharren Haskel against the joint electoral arrangement between Likud and the Religious Zionist Party ahead of the 26th Knesset elections. Haskel sought to be recognized as a single-member faction and to split from the Religious Zionist Party, which had agreed to run on a joint list with Likud. The court ruled that Haskel's petition was submitted too late, noting the original merger agreement was signed in March 2025, but she only approached the Knesset committee in July 2026, just days before the funding cutoff date for the upcoming elections.

The court emphasized that the Religious Zionist Party continued to operate as a separate faction within the Knesset, maintaining independent representation, offices, budgets, and staff, and no joint faction meetings were held with Likud. While the petition was dismissed, Supreme Court President Isaac Amit criticized the joint list arrangement, warning it could infringe on the rights of Knesset members opposed to such mergers to effectively split from their factions. Amit left open the possibility for future judicial review of similar cases, stating that "such an agreement may require, at the appropriate time, a separate discussion."

The petition arose from a political dispute following the integration of Gideon Sa'ar and members of the Religious Zionist Party into Likud. Haskel, who opposed this merger, founded the "Israel First" party in July and sought to leave the Religious Zionist faction to run independently. The court did not compel Likud and the Religious Zionist Party to complete a formal merger, but the ruling raises legal questions about the joint list format and the parliamentary rights of dissenting members. The court also underscored the limited judicial intervention in political agreements unless they violate the law or public order, which was not claimed in this case.