Otzma Yehudit MK Tzvika Fogel announced Sunday that he will not seek reelection to the 26th Knesset on the party’s slate, as party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir moves ahead with reshaping the list ahead of the upcoming election.

Fogel currently serves as chairman of the Knesset National Security Committee and chairman of the Otzma Yehudit parliamentary faction. In announcing his decision, he said it had been an honor to represent the people of Israel in the Knesset and to serve as part of Otzma Yehudit.

“In recent years, I gave everything I had for the people of Israel and the State of Israel, and especially to ensure that the State of Israel would have the upper hand following the terrible disaster we endured,” Fogel said.

Fogel said that his plans for continuing his political work could no longer move forward as he had envisioned, leading him to decide against running on the Otzma Yehudit slate. He did not elaborate on what had changed.

“I am ending a chapter, but the mission continues,” Fogel said, adding that he intends to continue working on behalf of Israel in whatever capacity is available to him.

Meanwhile, Ben Gvir is continuing to finalize the party’s election slate. He informed MK Limor Son Har-Melech that she will receive the fifth position on the list, while MK Yitzhak Kroizer will be placed sixth.

Son Har-Melech currently serves as a deputy Knesset speaker and has promoted legislation including the death penalty for terrorists, ending UNRWA activity in Israel and reversing portions of the Disengagement Law.

Kroizer, a reserve soldier from the Golan Heights, chairs the Knesset Interior and Environmental Protection Committee and serves on the Judicial Selection Committee. His legislative efforts have included measures targeting protection rackets and illegal weapons, as well as legislation concerning security at IDF bases and firearm licenses for wounded IDF veterans.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)