Yesh Atid says Roll ‘stealing votes’ by forming new party instead of stepping down from Knesset

After MK Idan Roll announced he was leaving Yesh Atid, the party says the lawmaker is “stealing votes” by forming a new party instead of resigning from the Knesset.

“After being removed from the leadership of the [LGBTQ] Yesh Atid caucus and receiving notice that he was about to be removed from the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee because he wasn’t functioning, Idan Roll decided to take a seat that does not belong to him and stand alongside Silman, Chikli, Sa’ar, and the other people who stole the electorate’s votes instead of doing the honorable thing and resigning from the Knesset,” the party says in a statement.

Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman and Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli both left the Yamina party to now serve in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar has been accused of breaking promises to voters when he joined the government last year. He is widely expected to be preparing to rejoin Likud.