Former cabinet minister Natan Sharansky, who has stood at the helm of The Jewish Agency for Israel since 2009, has announced he will not be seeking another term in office. The 68-year-old chairman has announced he will be stepping down, the J. Post reports.

Sharansky, a former Prisoner of Conscience, arrived in Israel in 1986 and succeeded in forming the Yisrael B’Aliyah party. As head of the party he served in the 14th, 15 and 16th Knesset in the role of Minister of Trade, Interior Minister/Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Jerusalem Affairs respectively. He made the move to the Jewish Agency in 2009.

While quoted explaining his life has been dedicated to connecting Diaspora Jewry and Israel, he explains he plans to continue doing just that after leaving the senior post, adding he told Prime Minister Netanyahu the Jewish Agency “is not a healthy organization and it needs new ideas and people”.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)