Sharan Haskel's Petition Against Likud and National Right Blunted: High Court Casts Doubt on Central Claim
The High Court of Justice summarily dismissed Sharan Haskel's petition against Likud and the National Right party, which sought to allow her to split from the National Right faction as a Knesset member opposed to the merger. The justices ruled that the delay in filing the petition justified its dismissal, and that Haskel's later conduct undermined the basis of the substantive claim. However, no legal costs were imposed on her.
The High Court of Justice dismissed the petition of Knesset member Sharan Haskel against the Likud and National Right factions, which sought to compel them to implement their merger agreement and allow her to split as a Knesset member opposed to the merger, in accordance with Section 59(3) of the Basic Law: The Knesset. The justices, headed by President Yitzhak Amit, ruled that the delay in filing the petition justified its dismissal on the merits, as Haskel acted only a few days before the 'determining date' under the Party Financing Law, even though the merger agreement was signed in March 2025. The court added that the delay is not merely procedural but undermines the basis of the claim itself, as no real-time documentation of her opposition to the merger was presented. During the hearings, it became clear that on July 14, 2026, the faction heads agreed on a change in the outline: instead of a factional merger, the agreement would be implemented through a joint run on a single list for the 26th Knesset elections. Haskel argued that this move was intended to circumvent the law, but the justices clarified that they do not intervene in political agreements except in extreme cases. They noted that while a joint run may raise legal difficulties in the future, this case is not suitable for a ruling due to the petitioner's late conduct. In the end, the petition was dismissed in full, but no legal costs were imposed, given that the factions' agreement on the joint run was reached following her appeal.