Silvan Shalom confirms he is quitting

Silvan Shalom has sent out a message confirming he is leaving political life, saying he is doing it to protect his family.

“For 23 years I have served with dedication and the public faith as a Knesset member and minister in different roles, from a sense of calling and will to advance important social and public matters,” he writes. “I am weary of the suffering that has been parceled out to my family, my wife, my children and my elderly mother. My family fully supports me, but there is no justification for the price demanded of them. For these reasons I have decided to quit my position as a minister and Knesset member.”