Israeli Arab Knesset member Jamal Zahalka has announced he will not return to the parliamentary body after the upcoming elections on April 9.
Zahalka, a member of the Arab Joint List faction, is the chairman of the Balad party.
According to an agreement signed by faction members, lawmakers must resign their positions in the Knesset after having served four terms.
Zahalka, who completes his fourth term with the onset of the early elections, has said, however, that he will continue to lead the Balad party.
The lawmaker is a known Arab extremist who has been at the forefront of Israeli Arab lawmakers who are more inclined to represent the interests of the Palestinian Authority than those of their own constituents living in the State of Israel.