Tzipi Livni quits Israeli politics, warns ‘democracy is in danger’

Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, whose party has trailed far behind in the polls ahead of the April 9 election, announced Monday she was retiring from politics. Livni, who gained international recognition in part thanks to her past role as a negotiator with the Palestinians, also said her Hatnua party, or ‘The Movement’, would not run in the election. The 60-year-old said in an emotional statement before journalists in Tel Aviv she was bringing her party to “an end… knowing I did all I could for my beloved state.” Livni, who also previously served in the Mossad spy agency, narrowly missed out on becoming PM after the 2009 election as head of the centrist Kadima party. Livni said Israeli democracy is “under attack” and “peace has become a dirty word,” in reference to PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing governance, AFP reports.