Danny Danon
Danny DanonIsrael's Mission to the UN

Israel’s Ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, announced on Saturday night that he will remain in his position and not run in the Likud primaries ahead of the Knesset elections.

"Under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Mission to the United Nations continues to achieve unprecedented accomplishments in the diplomatic arena. During this challenging period, I intend to continue advancing Israel's position at the UN, and therefore I will not participate in these upcoming Knesset elections,” said Danon in a statement.

“The role of Israel's ambassador to the UN is one of great responsibility, and I will continue to strengthen Israel's standing during this trying time," he added.

In January, Ambassador Danon will lead a delegation of 40 UN ambassadors to visit Israel, during which the group will also tour Israel's northern border.

The statement followed reports earlier in the week that Danon is considering resigning from his position and returning to politics.

Danon served as an MK for the Likud between 2009 and 2015. He Danon served as Deputy Minister of Defense from 2013 until he was fired from the position by Netanyahu in 2014 after publicly criticizing Netanyahu's handling of the counterterrorism Operation Protective Edge.

He later served as Minister of Science, Technology and Space before leaving the Knesset to serve as UN ambassador.