ARIEL (May 17) - Stating that his candidacy had been a "public service," National Union leader Ze'ev (Benny) Begin withdrew from the premiership race yesterday, but refused to endorse Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

"I tried to present the truth to the public about the false impression being sold by Netanyahu, [One Israel leader] Ehud Barak, and [Center Party leader] Yitzhak Mordechai about having a secret key to bringing peace and security between Israel and the PLO," Begin told a news conference with members of his party list five hours after Mordechai withdrew from the race.

Begin said his decision to withdraw was due to "a change in circumstances" Saturday night and yesterday, and called on his supporters to vote for the National Union list. However, regarding the race for prime minister, Begin would only say that he believes his supporters have a "deep political understanding" and therefore would know what to do.

Other National Union MKs, including Moledet's Rehavam Ze'evi and Benny Elon, and Tekuma's Hanan Porat, said they would all vote for Netanyahu, while they were split on whether to call on their supporters to do so as well.

With Begin out of the race, Porat said he would now vote for Netanyahu - "not because he is an ideal candidate" but because there is a better chance the National Union would be able to have a significant impact on him in the continuation of the peace process.

Ze'evi praised Begin for his decision, and said he hopes the move would increase support for the National Union list. But he said he could not call on his voters to support Netanyahu, because he had joined the effort to oust him.

After the news conference, the National Union MKs - with the exception of Begin - went to the prime minister's residence to show their support for him, despite their reservations.

Begin said he had not been contacted directly by Netanyahu to stay in the race. However, Porat said that throughout yesterday, including after Mordechai's withdrawal, Begin was asked by officials in the Prime Minister's Office to remain a candidate. The assumption was that if Begin stayed in the race, it would increase the pool of non-Barak votes, and force a runoff for prime minister.

However, Tekuma MK Zvi Hendel said Begin's move was important to show that the Right is united. MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) said Begin's withdrawal would force him to have to vote for someone whom he did not want to support, referring to Netanyahu.