Independence party opts not to run in upcoming elections

Ehud Barak’s Independence party, without a strong leader or public backing, announced on Thursday that it would not run in the upcoming elections.

Barak announced he would leave politics and his defense minister post last month, ending a roller-coaster career in public service.

The party said it did not want to throw away public funds for what is expected to be an uphill battle to return to the Knesset.

“It is inappropriate to spend public funds on a campaign that will not with high certainty result in acceptable gains,” the party said in a statement.

Barak formed Independence in January 2011 when he split away from the Labor Party. The Knesset members who will sit out the upcoming elections are Einat Wilf, Orit Noked, Shalom Simhon, and Shachiv Shnaan.

“The Independence party will continue to exist as a party and its members will decide in the future how to act in order to advance the interests of the country, its security, its economy, its social and democratic vitality, on the basis of the ideas upon which the party was founded,” the statement said.