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(May 20) - National Union leader Ze'ev (Benny) Begin announced yesterday he is quitting politics as a result of the poor performance of his party, which won only three seats. "My job was to serve the public and to be effective, but apparently I don't have a public. Therefore I have decided to end my public activities," Begin, 56, said in a surprise announcement during a morning interview on Israel Radio. He submitted his resignation from the party list to the Central Elections Committee yesterday evening. Herut supporters planned to hold a vigil outside his Jerusalem home last night. Begin added that, in light of the results, his resignation is the "logical and correct conclusion." He also said it is apparent there was not enough support for his liberal approach to politics, combined with a concern for the Land of Israel. He had come under attack from other elements in the National Union, especially Moledet, for sticking to his candidacy for prime minister. Opponents believed it was hurting the performance of the joint Herut-Tekuma-Moledet list. Begin withdrew from the race on Sunday. His most outspoken critic, Moledet No. 2 Benny Elon, said yesterday that he "commends Begin's move. He showed that he is not a regular politician." At this time, Elon said, "people don't want a prophet in the Knesset." Elon said that Begin's candidacy for prime minister had caused the National Union "to look like Masada in its opposition to Binyamin Netanyahu, and when Begin finally did withdraw, he didn't endorse Netanyahu, creating an antagonistic atmosphere." He added that the party's four seats had come from its Tekuma element and not from Herut. Moledet leader and party No. 2 Rehavam Ze'evi would not say whether he supports or opposes Begin's move, but conceded that "the result is much less than what we expected and we were disappointed." At the same time, he said he is "not convinced there is a small public that is dedicated to the Land of Israel." National Religious Party leader Yitzhak Levy said he had warned that both the NRP and the National Union would lose from the fragmentation. The NRP lost four seats in Monday's elections, and Levy said the other result is that "Moledet is returning to the Knesset with three seats." Moledet had two MKs in the 14th Knesset. "In order to keep the Land of Israel we must stay together," Levy added. NRP No. 3 Shaul Yahalom praised Begin's decision and said he hopes ex-NRP MK Hanan Porat, who left for Tekuma, and the rest of the National Union would "follow suit to pay for their crime of toppling Netanyahu and splitting the religious Zionist camp." On the other hand, Meretz leader Yossi Sarid expressed regret over Begin's decision and called on him to reconsider, saying the Knesset needs honest people like him. Industry and Trade Minister Natan Sharansky expressed sorrow over Begin's decision to leave political life. "It's important that the voice of the Greater Land of Israel be represented by a man who is untainted and true to his conscience, and that is exactly what Benny Begin is," Sharansky said. Begin, a geologist, first entered politics in 1988, when he was elected as a Likud MK to the 12th Knesset. When he joined the Likud, he was seen as one of the party's "princes," and thus a potential heir for the party leadership after Yitzhak Shamir. However, that same year, Netanyahu also won a slot on the Likud list and quickly overshadowed Begin and the other young stars. In 1993, Begin competed against Netanyahu for the party leadership, but came in a distant third after David Levy. In the 1996 elections, Begin campaigned eagerly for Netanyahu and was appointed science minister. However, after the signing of the Hebron Accord in 1997, Begin quit the Netanyahu government due to his firm opposition to the implementation of the Oslo Accords. Last December, he took part in the effort to advance the elections and then left the Likud to establish the Herut faction. Hearing of Begin's decision to quit political life, Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak said yesterday that Begin "is a positive and special person, a man of truth and high standards, who is impossible not to admire, even in times of political disagreement." Aryeh Dean Cohen and Danna Harman contributed to this report.
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