Bishara's resignation prompts office ban

JERUSALEM, April 22 (UPI) -- Israel's Justice Ministry forbid Knesset member Azmi Bishara entry into his office Sunday after the Israeli Arab party leader tendered his resignation.

With allegations being laid against Bishara regarding his political dealings, the Balad party chairman officially resigned Sunday in Cairo. Jerusalem authorities promptly placed the entry ban onto his Knesset office, Haaretz reported.

Bishara's resignation of his parliamentary seat was visually confirmed by Israeli Ambassador to Egypt Shalom Cohen and his deputy.

Bishara said he chose to resign his position and forgo the immunity attached to it in order to free the Arab population from any repercussions from the investigation into his affairs.

"Now I have become an ordinary citizen," he said. "Now there are new rules for the game in which I define the limits, rules where the investigation does not touch my ideological and political position nor my social standing within the Palestinian people."

The newspaper said Bishara also said he would analyze certain personal variables before determining when he would return to Israel.