Shas MK and former cabinet minister Moshe Arbel announced his retirement from politics and submitted a letter of resignation to Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana on Sunday, only days before lawmakers are expected to vote to dissolve parliament, triggering early elections.

Arbel, despite representing an ultra-Orthodox constituency that is often criticized for eschewing secular education and military service, is a college-educated attorney who served in the IDF in a casualty identification unit before becoming a military prosecutor in the reserves.

He first announced his resignation in a letter to Aryeh Deri, in which he thanked the Shas chairman for accepting his request to end his parliamentary tenure at the end of the current session.

Thanking Deri for his “full backing and steadfast support for decisions made during these significant years,” Arbel said he will “continue to act in the light of the values of the magnificent Shas movement” and “carry on as a public servant even outside the Knesset” by striving “for the unity of the people and the sanctification of Heaven’s name.”

Deri, in return, praised the lawmaker as “one of the precious sons of the Shas revolution” who “worked devotedly for the movement and the public” and “demonstrated loyalty, talent, and impressive capabilities.”

“I have accepted his request to resign from the Knesset for personal reasons that he laid out before me. Alongside this, he announced that he is ready to continue to assist the movement in any way required, and I hope to continue to utilize his help and assign him tasks in the near future,” Deri added, wishing Arbel success.

Once his resignation takes effect, Arbel will be replaced in the Knesset by former MK Erez Malul, who was........

© The Times of Israel