The leader of Shas, the Zionist largest ultraorthodox religious party,resigned from Knesset ahead of a general election scheduled for March 17.

The leader of Shas, the Zionist largest ultraorthodox religious party,resigned from Knesset ahead of a general election scheduled for March 17, the World Bulletin news website reported.

Aryeh Deri's resignation came with a crisis that erupted on Sunday following the emergence of a 2008 video of the late Shas mentor Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

The Zionist newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Deri had submitted his resignation letter to the head of Knesset.

The Zionist law make it permissible for Deri to reconsider his resignation within 48 hours.

The 'Israel Radio', meanwhile, said Deri had submitted his resignation from Knesset late on Monday against the background of a duel between him and his party's former chairman Eli Yishai.

Yishai shocked Shas members by publishing a video in which Rabbi Ovadia Yosef describes Deri as a "liar."

Channel 2 said the conflict between Deri and Yishai was the largest within Shas. The channel added that 11 other Shas members intended to quit parliament, following in the footsteps of their party leader.

The Zionist Knesset should continue to be functional until the snap elections are held.

The Zionist entity occupied Palestine in 1948 when British mandate issued the Balfour Promise. Since then, the occupation authorities established judicial and political institutions over the occupied territories, while killing the original citizens and damaging the country's infrastructure.