In a blow to opposition leader MK Yair Lapid, former deputy foreign minister MK Idan Roll announced on Sunday that he was leaving Lapid’s party, Yesh Atid, and forming his own party, to be called “Harov Haleumi” (“The National Majority”).
In a post on X on Sunday morning, Roll wrote, "October 7 was a double wake-up call for us. First, we woke up to an existential war, revealing immense strength and readiness in our people to sacrifice and give for the protection of our shared home. Second, we woke up to the recognition of the shared identity that binds us together and that our common interest in the existence of the state is stronger than anything that divided us.”
“The large and brave public that rose on October 7th to fight for the state and rebuild it must also take its place in national leadership. However, for this to happen, we must open the closed club of the Knesset and ensure that the State of Israel does not miss a historic opportunity for change.
“This morning, I informed the chairman of the 'Yesh Atid' faction, MK Yair Lapid, of my resignation from the party and my departure on an independent path. I will continue to serve the public as a constructive opposition and work to open the gates of the Knesset for political and ideological renewal. I thank Lapid for the shared journey and the privilege of serving alongside him as Deputy Foreign Minister and as a Member of Knesset. Yesh Atid was a political home for me, and I am full of appreciation for my colleagues in the faction, the party leadership, and the dedicated activists," Roll concluded.
The move was not a total surprise since Roll had expressed his dissatisfaction with the party line on a number of occasions since October 7. Roll positioned himself as more hawkish than Lapid on matters of national security – including his outspoken opposition to a Palestinian state, support for a bill to outlaw UNWRA, and other issues.
A blow to Lapid
However, the move is still a blow for Lapid, who has been facing growing criticism over his leadership of the opposition after the United Right party led by MK Gideon Sa’ar left the opposition and rejoined the government in September.
Roll, 40, first entered the Knesset in 2019 after serving as an intelligence officer in the IDF and a lawyer specializing in high-tech mergers and acquisitions. He served as Deputy Foreign Minister in the Lapid-Bennett government. Roll is a member of the LGBTQ community and is married to Israeli singer Harel Skaat.
Yesh Atid may now attempt to announce Rol as a “seceding MK,” which would mean that he would not be allowed to run in any existing parties in the next election.
Yesh Atid said in a statement later on Sunday morning, “After being removed as the head of Yesh Atid’s LGBTQ caucus and being notified that he will be removed from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for a lack of functioning, Idan Rol decided to take a mandate that does not belong to him and take his place alongside [Bennett-Lapid government dropout Idit] Silman, [Amichai] Chikli, [Gideon] Sa’ar, and all the others who stole constituents’ votes instead of doing the decent thing and resigning from the Knesset.”