I spoke with Sharren Haskel in mid July, within days of her resignation from the Knesset. Immediately after the coalition government voted to recognize religious study as being a national foundational value, Haskel left the Knesset chamber and went straight to the cluster of reporters in the hallway. She would not stand by as the government made decisions that immediately imperiled the safety and security of Israel. For months, the IDF Chief of Staff has been warning the government that the army is about to collapse in on itself. Prime Minister Netanyahu pushed ahead, regardless, with his promise to the ultra-orthodox parties to enact a law giving them a lifetime exemption from IDF service. This policy is pushing Israelis - exhausted from three years of war - to the brink. Perhaps over. National unity and values are shaping up to be the key issue in this election to be held on October 27. There is no more fundamental value than security and defense. And equality. Sharren Haskel has long fought for these core principles and is now staking her political future on ensuring that this next election brings the change that more than 70% of Israelis want. A universal draft and an end to the absurd financial and other entitlements allocated to the haredim. We discuss this critical moment in the history of Israel and how she intends to bring much needed change Sharren is also one of the few women in the political scene. Israel used to be so much more progressive than so many countries. Or so it seemed. As haredi power becomes more entrenched and Likud is a hollowed-out husk of talent, we see a government dominated by older men. Older tired men. It is time for a new wave of talent and leadership.
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Sharren Haskel is married and the mother of three young children.
At 18, she served in the Israel Defense Force, as a combat soldier in the Border Guards during the Second Intifada. Following her military service, Deputy Minister Haskel pursued a career in veterinary medicine.
Haskel holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and International Relations from The Open University in Israel, where she also was the Israeli national debating champion. She entered the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) in 2015.
In November 2024, she was sworn in as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. She resigned from her position in mid July, immediately following the Knesset vote recognizing religious study as a foundational value of
