Veteran Yesh Atid Lawmaker Meir Cohen to Retire from Knesset Race

Meir Cohen, a veteran lawmaker and former minister from the Yesh Atid party, has announced he will not run in the upcoming Knesset elections. Cohen, who has been with the party since its inception before the 2013 elections, will instead take on the role of Chairman and President of the Yesh Atid Conference. He previously served as Mayor of Dimona for a decade and held the position of Minister of Social Affairs and Social Services in two separate governments.

Cohen stated that his decision to step down from the electoral list is intended to make way for younger leadership within the party. "Yair and I founded Yesh Atid together, and I have been a member since its first day," he said. "After 25 years in education and 23 years in politics, I am happily and proudly making way for the next generation of the party and for the people who will lead it into the future." He affirmed his continued commitment to Yesh Atid's values and its leader, Yair Lapid.

Lapid emphasized that Cohen is not leaving the party, calling him his "older brother" and a "pillar" of Yesh Atid. Lapid revealed he had asked Cohen to run in a high position on the list but that Cohen chose to yield his spot to the "next generation of Knesset members."

Cohen's departure adds to a significant wave of departures from Yesh Atid since the 2022 elections. Out of the 24 members elected to the current Knesset, eight have either left the Knesset, the party, or announced they will not seek re-election. These include Orna Barbivai, Yoel Razvozov, Elazar Stern, Yoav Segalovitz, Boaz Toporovsky, Idan Roll, and Ron Katz.

The departures have occurred throughout the current term, with some citing personal reasons or pursuing other political opportunities, such as Segalovitz's reported negotiations with the Ra'am party. The exodus has intensified leading up to the 2026 elections, partly due to the party's recent merger with Naftali Bennett's faction, creating a crowded field of candidates for a limited number of realistic spots on the joint "Achva" list.