United Torah Judaism Knesset member Yaakov Litzman has announced he will not run in any future election.
Litzman, 73, made the announcement Sunday during an interview on the Knesset Channel, saying he has had enough, adding that his decision had nothing to do with recent police investigations into his behavior.
“I’m not going to the Knesset again,” he said. “At my age . . . I’ve served in the Knesset for more than 23 years.”
The MK served as head of Israel’s Health Ministry – sometimes as minister and sometimes as “deputy minister” — from 2009 until the middle of last year.
Litzman may be indicted for obstruction of justice and breach of trust at the close of an ongoing investigation into allegations he used his former position as Health Minister to try to prevent the extradition of Malka Leifer, a hareidi-religious former school principal accused of sexually assaulting students in Australia.
Leifer was finally extradited to Australia this year after a years-long legal struggle.
Litzman, also accused of working to prevent the closure of a deli that was cited for health violations, stepped down as chair of UTJ this past January after an 18-year run as its head.