A member of the Israeli Knesset has revealed that she is pregnant with the child of a gay male friend.

Meira Ben Ari of the centrist Kulanu party shared the news ahead of the Jewish new year, stating that she didn’t want rumours of an unplanned pregnancy to start.

The politician opted to start a family because she felt time was passing her by. The 40 year old was elected to the Knesset party last year and has passed six bills in her time.

She said the gruelling pace of political life has left her little time to focus on her personal life.

Ben Ari has put off having children as she doesn’t have a partner. However, a conversation with her mother made her realise she wanted to start a family.

Moshe Kahlon, head of the Kulanu, is supportive of her. The pair have joked that Kahlon is the father.

She proposed the idea to a close gay friend, Ophir. “I told him, let’s create a child and raise him, and Ophir agreed,” she said.

She hasn’t ruled out marriage later in life but didn’t want to wait to get a husband to have a family

She hopes to inspire other women to take the reigns when it comes to deciding to be mothers “I told the story also to give inspiration and courage to other women, to give them strength not to give up the right to have children, even if they do not have a spouse,” she said.