Former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has announced her retirement from politics.

Monday's announcement ends the career of a politician who was once a rising star and a contender for prime minister.

Livni, 60, began her political career in 1999 as a lawmaker of the Likud Party, now led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. But like many other former hard-liners, she moved to the left to confront what many believe to be a demographic time bomb caused by the continued occupation of millions of Palestinians.

Livni joined the centrist Kadima Party in the mid-2000s and served as Israel's foreign minister and chief peace negotiator.

But in recent years, Livni, and the Palestinian issue, have been pushed to the sidelines.