Ex-Yesh Atid MK Says Party Should Have Joined Government on Oct. 7

MK Debbie Biton, who recently announced her departure from the Yesh Atid party and will not run in the next Knesset elections, reflected on her party's political decline in a recent interview. Biton, who joined a wave of departures from Yesh Atid, stated that the party made a mistake by not joining the government coalition on October 7th, believing it was what the public desired at the time.

"We should have entered the coalition on October 7th," Biton said, explaining that while there was a majority against it, she felt it was the public's will. She suggested that the refusal to join the emergency government might have negatively impacted the party's standing. Biton also urged the current government to understand the lasting impact of the October 7th events.

Looking ahead, Biton expressed a strong stance against forming a coalition with the Arab party Ra'am, stating she would prefer new elections even with the associated costs and exhaustion. She also revisited a past controversial remark where she implied that only intelligent people, like lawyers and doctors, were in her family, expressing regret for the phrasing and emphasizing her belief in connecting with all people.

Biton's departure is part of a significant exodus from Yesh Atid, with other MKs like Tatiana Mazursky, former minister Meir Cohen, and MK Mickey Levy also leaving. Some departing members are moving to other political factions, such as MK Yoav Segalovitz joining Ra'am and MK Elazar Stern joining the "Yashar!" party. The formation of a joint list with Naftali Bennett's party has also been cited as a factor contributing to the shrinking opportunities for Yesh Atid candidates.