MK Idan Roll announced his resignation from the Knesset and political life on Sunday morning, citing his decision not to run in the next round of elections.
Adi Ezuz will be replacing Roll, representing the opposition Yesh Atid party led by MK Yair Lapid.
Ezuz’s appointment “will continue Yesh Atid’s agenda of changing national priorities and strengthening gender representation and the rights of people with disabilities,” the Yesh Atid party told The Jerusalem Post.
Roll operated as an independent one-man faction in the Knesset after he split off from the opposition Yesh Atid party back in January.
Roll had previously served as deputy foreign minister during the Naftali Bennett-Lapid government.
In his resignation statement, Roll explained that since he would not be running in the next round of elections, he believed it was “appropriate to step down now, at the start of the [Knesset’s] recess.” The Knesset’s recess began on July 27 and will continue until October.
“I have had the privilege of serving the State of Israel and its citizens for more than six years – challenging and complex years: five election campaigns during a deep political and social crisis, a global pandemic, and a bloody war that began on October 7,” Roll wrote in his resignation post on X/Twitter.
“I am grateful for the privilege of taking part in advancing the rights of the LGBTQ+ community, in the Knesset and at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and of presenting to the world what I call “pragmatic liberalism,” unique to Israel: liberalism and the advancement of human rights alongside an uncompromising commitment to our security,” he continued.
In response to Roll’s resignation, Lapid wrote, “Wishing Idan Roll much success in the future,” in an X post.
Roll’s resignation from the Yesh Atid party was a blow to Lapid at the time, who had been facing growing criticism over his leadership of the opposition after the New Hope-United Right party, led by Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, left the opposition and rejoined the government in September.
The Yesh Atid party stated after Roll’s resignation that it “is proud and excited about the upcoming entry of Adi Ezuz to the Knesset – a significant addition to the party’s top-quality list in the Knesset.”
The party also noted that Ezuz is an attorney and “an activist for the rights of women and people with disabilities, CEO of The Women’s Courtyard NGO, former legal adviser for ALUT (the Israeli Society for Autistic Children), and someone who worked to implement the Equal Rights for Persons with Disabilities Law.”
Roll barred from running in next election
Roll’s resignation bars him from running with any other party currently in the Knesset in the next election.
He is barred from running with another party as part of the existing rules in place to prevent MKs from switching sides during a given Knesset for opportunistic reasons, i.e., to prevent “political bribery.”
Eliav Breuer contributed to this report.