JERUSALEM – Israel’s Defence Minister Ehud Barak on Monday announced
he was quitting political life after a decades-long career that also saw
him serve as prime minister.
Barak, 70, made the surprise announcement at a press conference in
Tel Aviv, adding that he would retire from politics after a new
government is formed in the wake of January elections.
“I have decided to resign from political life and not participate in the upcoming Knesset elections,” Barak said.
“I will finish my duties as defence minister with the formation of
the next government in three months,” he added, saying that he wanted to
spend more time with his family.
Barak’s announcement came as political observers had speculated the
long-time politician would announce he was joining another political
party ahead of the January 22 elections.
Many suspected he might pair up with former foreign minister Tzipi
Livni to run on a centrist ticket, after she quit the centre-right
Kadima party following her loss in a primary vote.
But few believed that Barak would announce he was quitting political
life altogether, in a decision that caps a tumultuous year for him.
In January, he resigned from the Labour party where he had spent his
entire political life, leading his newly-formed Independence faction
into the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (AFP)
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