Meretz Party leader MK Yossi Sarid, who has been a Member of Knesset since 1974, finalized his resignation this afternoon. He originally announced his intention to do so last night, only minutes after Israel Television's exit poll gave his party only five Knesset seats, half of its total in the outgoing Knesset. Although Meretz in fact won 6 seats, and not 5 as Sarid thought, this did not change his decision. Sarid stated that he accepts responsibility for the party's poor performance, and said that it's time for "new faces" to take over. Oslo architect Yossi Beilin, who was given the 11th place on the Meretz list after being bumped out of Labor, will not enter the Knesset. He has not been a MK since resigning in 1999 after Prime Minister Ehud Barak appointed him a minister in the government.



Sarid has served in the Knesset since 1974. He began in the Labor Party, and helped form the Ratz party in the 11th Knesset. In the next Knesset, Ratz joined with two other parties to form Meretz. Outgoing MK Michael Kleiner, whose Herut party did not pass the minimum vote threshold, said that Sarid's resignation was "the best news of the election results."



Another party leader who took responsibility for his party's poor showing was Natan Sharansky. The former Prisoner of Zion announced this afternoon that he would remain party chairman for the meanwhile, but that he would not serve in the 16th Knesset. Sharansky served in the Knesset for two terms, since 1996, and was Minister of the Interior; Housing; and Industry and Trade.