Likud MK Galit Distel-Atbaryan announced on Monday that she will not run in the upcoming primaries for her party and will not be in the next Knesset elections.
Distel Atbaryan’s announcement came after several weeks of working to advance Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial media reform bill.
Speaking at the Communications Committee, Distel-Atbaryan praised Karhi, saying, “I say this from my humble place as someone leaving the political world - Likud members, this man should be in the top five.”
Before her current role, Distel-Atbaryan held the position of Israel’s public diplomacy minister, which she resigned from one week after the October 7 massacre, when the responsibilities shifted to the Diaspora Affairs Ministry.
Distel-Atbaryan ranked low in recent polling
In a Maariv survey conducted this month among some 120,000 active members of the Likud party, Galit Distel-Atbaryan ranked a relatively low 29th place, meaning she was not likely to enter the next Knesset given her current standing in the party.
Distel-Atbaryan is the latest politician to resign from the Knesset, as former interior minister and Shas MK Moshe Arbel also announced he would be leaving the political sphere last week.
As the election, currently set for October 27, 2026, approaches, and the Likud primaries, which currently have no date set, parties have gained and lost members as the political landscape continues to evolve.
Keshet Neev and Maariv contributed to this report.