MK Karine Elharrar announced on Thursday that she will not run in the next election on behalf of the Yesh Atid party.
Elharrar is one of the party’s longest-serving Knesset members and has been with it since its establishment in 2012.
“Dear friends and partners, yes, yes, it’s my turn to issue a dramatic announcement," Elharrar wrote.
"Fourteen years ago, Yair Lapid added me to the founding list of Yesh Atid and opened the door for me to the exciting world of politics, and for that I will always be grateful to him. Yair was and remains a friend and partner, a true leader who sees people as equals and always keeps the good of the country before his eyes."
Elharrar also expressed her pride in being part of establishing "the best centrist party there is."
“Over the years, I served both in the coalition and in the opposition, chaired Knesset committees, served as energy minister, and took part in national and international initiatives," she wrote.
"I advanced significant legislation for children and young people at risk and for promoting women’s rights. I met and worked alongside partners on the journey who are truly among the best and most committed to changing and improving the country."
Elharrar emphasized that, although she would not run on the Yesh Atid list for the next Knesset, she would remain in the party and continue to participate in the ongoing election campaign.
Yesh Atid sees broad changes in makeup ahead of 2026 elections
Elharrar’s announcement comes after a wave of departures from the party led by Yair Lapid.
On Wednesday, Debbie Biton and Tatiana Mazarsky also announced that they would not run in the upcoming election, joining a long list of Knesset members and senior figures who have left the party in recent months.
Among those who have departed are Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Elazar Stern, Ron Katz, Yoav Segalovitz, Orna Barbivai, Boaz Toporovsky, Yoel Razvozov, and Idan Roll.
Ahead of the unveiling of the new party list, Yesh Atid is facing a major change in its composition, with harsh assessments of its situation already being heard in the political system.
“Look at what is happening there,” a political source familiar with the developments said. “This is a party that was established in 2013. In its first election it won 19 seats, and in the last election it won 24, and it is simply coming to an end.”
Lapid criticizes media for claiming MKs left party
In his response to Elharrar's statement, Lapid emphasized that she, along with several of the other party members who have announced their decision not to run in the upcoming election, would remain members of the Yesh Atid party.
"In recent days, five Knesset members from Yesh Atid announced that they will not run in the next elections. Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Karine Elharrar, Debbie Biton, and Tatiana Mazarsky," Lapid wrote on X/Twitter.
"All five issued orderly statements in which they emphasized, 'We are not leaving Yesh Atid. We remain members of the party. We believe in the path and the people; we will continue to work and do everything to help in the election campaign.'"
Lapid criticized the media for claiming that the party members had left Yesh Atid entirely, saying that he doesn't "want to try to guess why the media keeps repeating a headline that is factually incorrect and just hurts both them and the party."
Tzvi Jasper contributed to this report.