Yesh Atid MK Karine Elharrar announces decision not to run for Knesset in upcoming election

Karine Elharrar has decided not to run for the Knesset again on the Yesh Atid list, ending her bid for another term with the centrist party while remaining active inside it. She said she would stay in Yesh Atid and continue participating in its election campaign.

Elharrar has been one of the party’s longest-serving lawmakers and has belonged to Yesh Atid since its establishment in 2012. In a message to supporters, she thanked party leader Yair Lapid for placing her on the founding list and opening the way to what she called the “exciting world of politics.” She also praised him as a friend, partner and leader who puts the country first.

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Dear friends and partners, yes, yes, it’s my turn to issue a dramatic announcement.

Over the years, Elharrar said, she served in both coalition and opposition governments, chaired Knesset committees and served as energy minister. She highlighted legislation involving children and young people at risk, as well as initiatives promoting women’s rights. She said she was proud to have helped establish “the best centrist party there is.”

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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.

Her decision came after Debbie Biton and Tatiana Mazarsky said on Wednesday that they would also not run in the upcoming election. Other lawmakers and senior figures who have left the party in recent months include Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Elazar Stern, Ron Katz, Yoav Segalovitz, Orna Barbivai, Boaz Toporovsky, Yoel Razvozov and Idan Roll.

The departures have fueled speculation about a major change in Yesh Atid’s composition before the new list is presented. A political source cited in the report said the party appeared to be nearing its end, pointing to its first-election result of 19 seats and its most recent result of 24. Lapid has pushed back against descriptions of the lawmakers as having left Yesh Atid, emphasizing that several of them, including Elharrar, remain party members.

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Look at what is happening there. 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.