Yesh Atid MKs Debbie Biton and Tatiana Mazarsky both announced on Tuesday that they will not run for reelection with Yair Lapid in the upcoming Knesset elections, to be held on October 27.
Lapid’s Yesh Atid joined with former prime minister Naftali Bennett to form the new party B’Yachad earlier this year.
Both Biton and Mazarsky stated that their announcements came after discussions with Lapid.
In a statement on X/Twitter, Biton said she is not leaving Yesh Atid and will remain part of public action moving forward.
“I am concluding four intensive and meaningful years in the Knesset with a great sense of satisfaction,” she stated, additionally thanking Lapid and the party for “ years of work, friendship, and joint action.”
Mazarsky clarified that she will also remain a member of the party, despite not seeking re-election.
She asserted that she maintains belief in Lapid’s leadership and believes that Yesh Atid should lead the state of Israel in a statement released on Facebook.
Biton and Mazarsky’s decisions to seek re-election came after Yesh Atid MKs Meir Cohen and Mickey Levy confirmed on Monday that they were also not going to run with the party in the upcoming election.
Cohen and Levy will also remain members of the party.
Cohen was a founding member of the party along with Lapid and said that, by not seeking re-election, he intended to hand his seat to “the next generation of the party and the people who will lead it into the future.”
Lapid responds to MKs not seeking re-election
Lapid lauded Cohen as his closest associate within the party, describing Cohen as a “rare person and rare politician” who will continue to be a pillar of the Yesh Atid Party.
In response to Biton and Mazarsky’s announcements, Lapid emphasized his gratitude for their work in the Knesset and noted that they will all continue to work together.
He described Biton as “the one who taught us all how to turn hardship into strength and pain into an inspiring journey,” and thanked Mazarsky for her work in the field of health.
In Lapid’s responses to each MK, he expressed that this is not a farewell to either of them, but that they are “starting another chapter.”
Shir Perets and Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.