Rebel Yamina MK Chikli to resign from Knesset, enabling run with Likud in November

Rebel MK Amichai Chikli, who was officially declared a defector from the Yamina party earlier this year, will resign from the current in an effort to allow him to run with an existing party in the upcoming election.

Chikli, who refused to vote with the outgoing coalition since its inception a year ago, was officially labeled a defector in April, a move which would have prevented him from running with any existing party in the next vote.

But as part of a deal purportedly reached today after a hearing in his appeal the ruling, Chikli agrees to resign from the current Knesset and will therefore likely be freed from such restrictions. Chikli was long rumored to be in talks to join Likud, and several Likud MKs tweet messages congratulating him and calling on him to join their party immediately following the announcement of the deal.

It remains to be seen if Chikli will run in the Likud primary ahead of the November 1 national election or be given a reserved spot — as was reportedly promised to him earlier this year.