Yesh Atid MK Ron Katz announced on Sunday that he was resigning from the Knesset and would not be running in the upcoming elections.
He will be replaced by the next person on Yesh Atid’s list, Mohammad Abu al-Hija, who is an Arab Israeli community figure and educator.
Katz’s resignation marks another departure from the faction after Yesh Atid’s merger with Naftali Bennett’s new party, Together, led by Bennett. The party has seen declining support in polls in recent weeks.
Together is a core party in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections set for October 27.
“After 15 years of meaningful public service, it is time to take a break from public life and begin a new chapter,” Katz said, announcing the departure.
He added that he chose to submit his resignation during the Knesset recess rather than wait until it ended because he did not want to continue receiving a public salary after deciding to leave political life.
“I do not believe it is right to continue receiving a public salary after I had already decided to embark on a new path,” he said.
Mohammad Abu al-Hija, Atidna founder, to replace Katz
Following the announcement of the departure, Yesh Atid stated that it was proud to welcome Abu al-Hija to the Knesset.
The party said Abu al-Hija was currently working as the director of the Informal Education Department in the Tamra Municipality, treasurer of the Union of Youth Departments in Israel, and head of Yesh Atid’s Arab headquarters.
Yesh Atid added that Abu al-Hija has worked as an educator and social entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience in education, youth development, and the integration of young Arab citizens into Israeli society.
“He founded Atidna, Israel’s first Arab-Zionist youth movement,” Yesh Atid added.
The party noted that he was born and raised in the northern Arab city of Tamra and is married with three children.
Yesh Atid, Yair Lapid thank Katz for years of service
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana said that Katz had submitted his letter of resignation to him, and that the next person on Yesh Atid’s list was Abu al-Hija. The addition comes as the Knesset is in recess ahead of elections and does not convene for plenum sessions unless under special circumstances.
Yesh Atid stated that it wanted to thank Katz for “his years of meaningful, dedicated, and principled public service.”
“Ron, one of Yesh Atid’s long-time grassroots activists, served with professionalism and deep commitment on behalf of the citizens of Israel,” the party added.
Yesh Atid Party leader Yair Lapid said regarding Katz’s departure that he had been “a longtime member of Yesh Atid and one of the pillars of the party’s grassroots organization”.
“He is my friend and will continue to be part of our extended family. I thank him for his years of service to the Israeli public and wish him every success in the next chapter of his journey,” Lapid added.
In May, Yesh Atid MK Boaz Toporovsky also announced his departure from politics and that he was leaving the Knesset. Toporovsky was one of the founders of Yesh Atid and had served as the coalition whip in the government led by Bennett and Lapid between 2021 and 2022.
The Bennett-Lapid government was the first to include an Arab party in its coalition in the country’s history.
Bennett and Lapid’s Together alliance had been polling in past months as the largest party in the opposition bloc, but in recent weeks was overtaken by the Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot.
Yesh Atid MK Elazar Stern has said that, if he remains in politics ahead of the elections, he would only do so as part of Eisenkot’s framework.