Likud MK Quits Politics in What Could Be the First of Many Departures Before Next Election

Likud MK Galit Distel Atbaryan announced Monday that she is leaving politics and will not run in the party’s primaries ahead of the next Knesset election.

Distel Atbaryan made the announcement almost in passing during a Knesset Communications Committee meeting, which she currently chairs.

Her departure comes after two Knesset terms. She first entered parliament in 2021 after being reserved a spot on the Likud list by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and later surprised many in the party by winning a realistic place in the 2022 Likud primaries.

After the current government was formed, Distel Atbaryan was appointed public diplomacy minister. She resigned from the cabinet after the October 7 massacre, criticizing the government for giving her the title without the tools needed to succeed in the role.

After a period of relative quiet, she returned to prominence as chair of the Communications Committee, where she helped advance Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s media reform bill after the legislation had been stalled for roughly two years in the Economic Affairs Committee.

Before entering politics, Distel Atbaryan was a media personality and author.

Her resignation may be the first in a broader wave of Likud departures ahead of the next election. Likud currently has around 40 MKs when including Norwegian Law replacements, but the party’s internal structure allows only about 20 sitting lawmakers to secure spots on the national list before district candidates are placed.

That means many current Likud MKs are expected to be pushed out of realistic positions.