Israeli foreign minister resigns - FT.com Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, resigned on Friday to fight criminal charges of fraud and breach of trust - but left open the possibility of a return to government after the general election in January. "I have decided to resign my post as foreign minister and deputy prime minister," Mr Lieberman said in a statement, while insisting that he had committed no crime. His resignation came a day after Israeli prosecutors revealed they would file formal charges against Mr Lieberman, ending months of intense speculation over the political future of the prominent nationalist leader. Mr Lieberman, the founder of the far-right Yisrael Beiteinu party has been under police investigation for more than a decade, over allegations that he received and laundered large amounts of money through shell companies controlled by himself and his family. Prosecutors said on Thursday that they did not have sufficient evidence to bring the case to court, but that they had filed charges against the foreign minister in a separate, less serious case. Mr Lieberman stands accused of promoting a diplomat who leaked confidential information about the money-laundering probe to him personally. Israeli media said the decision to stand down from his cabinet posts would not affect Mr Lieberman's ability to contest the forthcoming general election. Yisrael Beiteinu has formed a joint list with the Likud party of Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, and polls suggest the combined group will emerge as the biggest political force in the new parliament.