Competition Authority head Michal Halperin steps down Israel's antitrust regulator is quitting after more than five years so that she can conduct research at Harvard University. Israel Competition Authority head Michal Halperin announced today that she will step down in August. Halperin told her employees in a letter that, "The time has come to pass on the baton of the Authority to a successor." Halperin contacted Minister of Economy and Industry Amir Peretz this morning and said that, "After five and a half years of endeavor, I am requesting to end my term of office and take time out, of which I will take advantage of for research and writing at Harvard University."