Likud MK Galit Distel Atbaryan on Monday said she will not run in the upcoming elections and will leave the Knesset at the end of its current term.

Distel Atbaryan announced her departure during a session of the special Knesset panel overseeing Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi’s controversial media overhaul bill.

The announcement came after months of mounting criticism of the committee, led by Distel Atbaryan, including allegations that it bypassed parliamentary procedures, curtailed debate, and disregarded legal advice.

Those irregularities prompted Knesset Legal Adviser Sagit Afik last month to call for the legislation to be moved to the Economic Affairs Committee, where such bills are normally discussed.

Speaking in the committee, Distel Atbaryan praised Karhi: “For your diligence, for your dedication, for the job you take so much flak for, and still fight for what you believe in.”

Distel Atbaryan has been a member of Knesset since 2022. She briefly served as public diplomacy minister before resigning days after the October 7, 2023, attack, arguing that her office had been sidelined while other government bodies were tasked with Israel’s international public diplomacy efforts.

The ministry was criticized for failing to release any........

© The Times of Israel