Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon announced Wednesday that he was resigning his post and will return to Israel to vie for a slot on the Likud list in the party primary ahead of the Knesset general election on April 9.
Likud holds direct primaries in which party members vote for those who will hold most of the spots on the Knesset list, although some spots are reserved to be filled at the discretion of the party leader.
Before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed him to succeed Ron Prosor as Israeli ambassador to the U.N. in August 2015, Danon served as science and technology minister and had been a Likud MK since 2009.
He has also served as deputy defense minister but was dismissed for voicing harsh criticism of the government at the start of Operation Protective Edge in the summer of 2014.
Danon's term as U.N. ambassador was slated to end in February 2019.
Upon being named to the U.N. post, Danon said, "I will do everything possible to promote Israel's positions to the world."
