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The head of Israel's left-wing Meretz party Zehava Galon will resign from her position as chairwoman next week, Israeli media reported on Thursday.
"Galon will remain in her position at least until the end of the year and will continue to assist and act in Meretz affairs," the party said.
This announcement comes two weeks after the Israeli general elections, where Meretz failed to pass the 3.25% voter threshold, remaining outside the parliament (Knesset) for the first time since the party's founding. The left-wing party earned 3.14% of the vote, coming just 3,800 votes short.
Following the election, Galon addressed the public in a video to voters, saying, "This is a very difficult moment for me and my friends in Meretz. The election results are a disaster for us, a disaster for the country, and yes, also a personal disaster for me."
“A few days before the elections, when I already knew that Meretz was in tangible danger, this very nightmare crossed my mind, of a Knesset without Meretz."
“I did what I never thought I would do again. When I saw that Meretz was in danger, I returned to the throes of politics, hoping to save Meretz and the entire bloc,” said Galon.
After Thursday’s announcement, Meretz's outgoing Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi Frej said Galon "came back to save Meretz. The situation… was much worse than reported."
He continued that the left-wing party "will not be restored."
"A solid, strong foundation has to be built, not for Meretz, but for the entire left-wing camp," Frej said. During the interview, he did not rule out the possibility Meretz would merge with the center-left Labor party in the future, a move Labor leader Merav Michaeli has opposed vehemently.