Far behind in polls, Israel’s Livni quits politics

TEL AVIV: Former Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, whose party has trailed far behind in polls ahead of April 9 elections, announced on Monday she was retiring from politics.

Livni, who gained international recognition in part thanks to her past role as a negotiator with the Palestinians, also said her Hatnua party ("The Movement") would not run in the elections. The 60-year-old said in an emotional statement before journalists in Tel Aviv she was bringing her party to "an end ... knowing I did all I could for my beloved state and to unite the forces that would fight for it. It’s not up to me any more."

Livni, who also previously served in the Mossad spy agency, narrowly missed out on becoming prime minister after 2009 elections as head of the centrist Kadima party. Kadima, founded by the late Ariel Sharon, had won the most seats, but Livni was unable to form a coalition.

The Tel Aviv-born lawyer has long been a leading figure in Israeli politics and among its most powerful women. Livni was first elected to parliament in 1999 as part of the right-wing Likud party, but would later shift to the centre, believing Israel must separate from the Palestinians to preserve a Jewish majority in the country.

She held various ministerial roles, including serving as foreign and justice ministers. She led the last serious negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, a US-sponsored effort that failed in 2014.