MK Elazar Stern Resigns From Knesset With Blistering Attack on Speaker Amir Ohana

MK Elazar Stern, who recently left the Yesh Atid party to join Gadi Eisenkot's newly formed Yashar! party, officially submitted his resignation from the Knesset on Monday afternoon. Following a meeting with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana in his office, Stern chose not to deliver a standard, polite resignation letter. Instead, he handed Ohana a highly critical and blunt letter, accusing him of turning the speaker's podium into a tool for incitement and political attacks.

Accusations of Undermining the Separation of Powers

In his resignation letter, Stern leveled severe criticism against Ohana's leadership, claiming that the standing of the current Knesset has been deeply damaged under his tenure.

Stern wrote in his letter:

"I believe that the status of the current Knesset has been very severely damaged, and it is impossible to ignore your major contribution to this. With the power entrusted to you in a state role, you have effectively abolished the separation of powers in the State of Israel. You have turned the Knesset into a tool that is part of the government, almost completely eliminating its ability or need to oversee the government's work. You have turned the Knesset into an authority trampled by the government."

Stern also accused Ohana of using his position to disparage the judiciary, stating that the damage caused to public trust in state institutions would take a long time to repair.

Incitement and Division During Wartime

Beyond the judicial issue, Stern claimed that the Knesset Speaker actively contributed to social division and incitement, particularly during a period of intense military conflict.

Stern added:

"You have turned the speaker's chair into one occupied with incitement, division, and strife instead of unity and statesmanship, all during a difficult war that has affected all citizens of the country and claimed many lives. There is no doubt that the way you managed the Knesset also added to the severe rift into which the people of Israel were dragged before the October 7 massacre."

In an interview published last Friday in Yedioth Ahronoth, Stern stated that his goal is to replace Ohana and serve as the next Knesset Speaker on behalf of the Yashar! party, should it form the next government. He criticized Ohana for turning the parliament into a "Likud central committee branch," alleging that during Donald Trump's visit to Israel, the galleries were filled with Likud activists, and that Ohana struggled to properly address Supreme Court Justice Yitzhak Amit.

Ohana's Response

Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana issued a sharp response to Stern's resignation letter, dismissing it as a political stunt.

Ohana stated:

"The absurd manifesto scribbled by Stern, a party-hopper whose sole purpose is to gain media coverage for election propaganda, deserves the exact same treatment he reportedly gave to sexual harassment complaints during his tenure as head of the IDF Manpower Directorate — straight to the shredder."