(JTA) — Alan Lowenthal, a Jewish Democrat from California who has been a leader in efforts to preserve the two-state outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, is retiring.

“It is time to pass the baton,” Lowenthal, 80, said in a statement. Lowenthal, elected to Congress in 2012 from Long Beach, a city in Los Angeles County, is best known for his work advancing the restoration of infrastructure in a way that protects the environment.

In recent years, he has aligned closely with J Street, the liberal Jewish Middle East policy group, and has become a leader in efforts to preserve the two-state outcome, backing bills and letters. In 2019, Lowenthal led passage of a resolution that committed Democrats to the two-state outcome at a time when then-Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and then-President Donald Trump appeared to be backing away from it. The message, with almost all Democrats signing on, was clear: if Netanyahu proceeded with annexation he would risk cutting off the entire Democratic Party. Lowenthal was always strongly Jewishly identified, albeit with a classic liberal tint: His sons recall Shabbat dinners that featured Bob Dylan songs. A son, Josh, has lived in Israel.

Lowenthal’s district may disappear as a result of post-census redistricting; his departure means that a neighboring Democrat, Lucille Roybal-Allard, whose district may also be up for removal, will likely be reelected.

Main Photo: Alan Lowenthal participates in a joint hearing by the House National Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations and the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, in Irvine, California, on October 18, 2021. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times via JTA)