MK Nitzan Horowitz
MK Nitzan HorowitzFlash 90

MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) announced Wednesday that he was quitting politics. With the announcement, Horowitz joins other long-time legislators such as Uzi Landau, Meir Sheetrit, Limor Livnat and Binyamin Ben-Eliezer in hanging up their political hats as well.

“I have thought about this for a long time and I was undecided until quite recently,” said Horowitz. “After nearly six years in the Knesset, it is time for me to move onto other things. I am not taking this decision lightly, leaving a party where I have a lot of friends and supporters. I love this country and I love you,” he told supporters who had come to hear the announcement. “We proposed advanced legislation, and we fought for basic principles – democracy, human rights, social justice, and peace.”

Horowitz, 49, is a former Channel Ten journalist who quit the channel in 2009 to join Meretz. An 'out' homosexual, Horowitz is remembered best for his failed attempt to legislate civil unions in Israel, and his boycotting of a visit to Israel by Pope Benedict XVI because of his stance on sexual orientation issues.

On Sunday, Tourism Minister Uzi Landau (Yisrael Beytenu) announced his resignation from politics, saying that during his 31 years in politics, “I took part in discussions (concerning) the most important initiatives and decisions of the state. I see myself as continuing to participate and contribute, but for me the time has come to move on from outside of the parliamentary system.”

Sheetrit, meanwhile, quit last week in the wake of the move of the leader of his Hatnu'a party, Tzipi Livni, to Labor. Ben-Eliezer quit several weeks ago, citing health problems.