Kobi Kahlon
Kobi KahlonFlash 90

Kobi Kahlon, considered the second-most powerful figure in the Jerusalem municipality and the brother of Kulanu chairman and Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon, handed in his resignation on Sunday night to Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat.

Kahlon served as a department head in the mayor's office, and is likely to be replaced by Meir Turgeman, a deputy Jerusalem mayor, reports Channel 10.

The resignation will take effect this November, meaning Kahlon still has several months in office.

In his announcement detailing that he is stepping down, Kahlon wrote that his seven years in the municipality were "the seven good years" in a casual reference to Joseph's rescuing of Egypt as detailed in the Torah, and added that he is leaving his post to return to his work as an entrepreneur in the private sector.

Kahlon in the past served as chairperson of the building and planning committee in Jerusalem.

Just before the last elections, in which Kahlon helped his brother as head of the elections headquarters for Kulanu, he was faced with lawsuits and allegations of fraud and breach of trust.

Noting that the investigation against him was years old and had been closed for lack of evidence, Kobi Kahlon said at the time that the renewed pursuit of the case was a political move meant to harm his brother's new party Kulanu in the polls.

Kulanu received ten seats, becoming the fifth largest party in the Knesset despite being just recently formed by the former Likud minister.