Liztman resigns from Knesset

United Torah Judaism’s Yaakov Litzman resigned his seat on Wednesday as part of a plea deal over his involvement in the Malka Leifer’s extradition to Australia.

Litzman is accused of using his former position as deputy health minister to block the extradition, which ultimately came to pass in January of last year, 13 years after she fled to Israel.

Litzman’s resignation is tied to his upcoming end-of-June court date, according to his office. The politician must leave Knesset before the hearing, as part of a negotiated plea deal for a single charge of fraud and breach of trust in relation to the Leifer case.

His resignation will become official 48 hours from its Wednesday afternoon submission, though Litzman, a 23-year veteran of the Knesset and former minister, vowed to “stay in politics” during a final speech on the Knesset floor.

“I am staying for a few things in which I can help,” he said, without elaborating.

Vocal in his distaste for the ruling coalition, Litzman expressed disappointment that he was resigning before being able to vote to dissolve the current Knesset and hold new elections.

“This Knesset is not what’s supposed to be and you all know this,” he told his colleagues in the plenum.

Closing his remarks, Litzman recalled a vote on funding for yeshivas at an unspecified date, saying he could have used his influence to “have gotten anything,” but instead decided to split the pot.

“Prime Minister [Naftali Bennett] and Interior Minister [Ayelet Shaked] need to put very well into their heads how I behaved then and how they’re behaving today,” he said.

The current government has worked to pass measures against and slash funding for issues close to the Haredi community and is currently working on a budget expected to close Haredi politicians’ access to the coalition’s discretionary funds.

His plea bargain, which has come under public criticism as a sweetheart deal that is expected to drop an obstruction of justice charge, eliminates prison time for the lawmaker and includes a nominal fine of NIS 2800 ($1157). It also does not include the designation of moral turpitude, which would have blocked Litzman from Knesset office for seven years.

Elected to the Knesset in 1999, Litzman was the de facto head of the Health Ministry for more than a decade, serving as either deputy or full health minister from 2009 until mid-2020.

Last year, Litzman stepped down as chair of the United Torah Judaism party after 18 years at the helm, with Moshe Gafni taking the lead. Litzman is now the party’s No. 2.

Yaakov Tessler, a member of the Vizhnitz Hasidic stream, is expected to replace Litzman, a member of the Gur faction, once he vacates one of UTJ’s seven Knesset seats.

Leifer, the former principal of the Adass Israel School in Melbourne, is set to go on trial on August 1 to face charges relating to alleged child sexual abuse while she was principal of the school. She has pleaded not guilty to 90 charges. A directions hearing was held late last month.

WITH TIMES OF ISRAEL