Yair Lapid Slams Media Over 'Abandoning' Yesh Atid MKs

Knesset Member Karin Elharar announced Thursday she will not run in the upcoming Knesset elections under the "B"H" and "Yesh Atid" list. This marks the fifth Knesset member from the party to announce their departure from running in the next election within the past week. The party's leader, Yair Lapid, expressed his anger via a social media post regarding the media's coverage of these departures.

Lapid listed the five MKs who will not be running: Meir Cohen, Mickey Levy, Karin Elharar, Debi Biton, and Tania Mazursky. He stated that each of them issued statements emphasizing they are not leaving Yesh Atid, remain party members, believe in its path and people, and will continue to work to aid the party in the upcoming election campaign.

Despite these statements, Lapid criticized the media for running headlines such as "Abandoning Yesh Atid." He argued that these MKs are not abandoning the party, have explicitly stated their continued commitment, and are remaining part of the "family." Lapid questioned the media's repeated use of factually incorrect headlines that harm both the departing MKs and the party.

"I cannot think of any other party where such a process would occur," Lapid wrote, adding that he does not wish to speculate on the media's motives. He concluded by thanking the MKs for their past contributions, their decision to remain part of the party, and for their future involvement.