Degel HaTorah Insider Claims Leadership Shakeup Amidst New Government Demands

Sources within the Degel HaTorah political party revealed on Wednesday that influential figure David Shapira is attempting to orchestrate the removal of party chairman Moshe Gafni and Knesset Member Uri Maklev. The same sources indicated that MKs Yitzhak Pindrus and Yaakov Asher are likely to retain their spots on the party's Knesset list. Shapira, who controls the newspaper Yated Ne'eman, is reportedly presenting his case to rabbinical leaders Dov Landau and Moshe Hillel Hirsch, though the success of this move remains uncertain.

These sources sharply criticized Shapira, dismissing his efforts to project influence as "pathetic" and accusing his faction of being willing to "sell everything for a political and economic mess of pottage." They further alleged that these actions are intended solely to "sow destruction," citing the faction's alleged welcoming of a prominent opponent, presumably for financial gain.

This reported leadership challenge emerges shortly after news broke that Degel HaTorah intends to demand ministerial positions in the upcoming government, a significant departure from its historical stance of avoiding such roles. This shift, reportedly approved by Lithuanian Jewry's leading rabbi, Dov Landau, will see the party seeking either the Education or Construction and Housing portfolios. This move is expected to alter the balance of power within the Haredi political sphere, as previously only the Agudat Yisrael party held government ministries.