Shas Party Leader Aryeh Deri Faces Internal Strife Amidst Leadership Shakeup

Shas party chairman Aryeh Deri's attempt to replace veteran Knesset members Yoav Ben Tzur and Moshe Abutbul has been thwarted. Ben Tzur successfully lobbied spiritual leader Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef, and a joint photo of the two effectively halted Deri's plans. The Council of Torah Sages has consequently frozen the move, allowing both Ben Tzur and Abutbul to remain on the party list for now, according to N12.

In an effort to mitigate public backlash over the controversial draft exemption law, Deri is reportedly seeking to bring a security-focused figure into the party. Rabbi Dror David Amos, a reserve IDF officer and head of the Religious Council in Haifa, is a leading candidate to receive an armored (reserved) spot on the list, potentially replacing a realistic slot, alongside a representative of the Bukharan community.

Meanwhile, the Degel HaTorah party is experiencing significant internal turmoil. New details have emerged regarding the ousting of Knesset member Moshe Gafni. Shortly after midnight, Gafni received an anonymous letter from Rabbi Dov Landau, thanking him for his service and announcing the end of his political career. Gafni then proceeded to recite penitential prayers while the official announcement of his and MK Uri Maklev's removal was released.

The Lithuanian party now faces the challenge of presenting this upheaval to its voters, emphasizing that the rabbis' word supersedes polls and that the goal is to inject new energy into the leadership. This internal conflict within Shas is not isolated; a deep rift was recently exposed between Deri and Rabbi Yosef following public praise from Yosef for MK Gadi Eisenkot. A student close to Rabbi Yosef recounted a heated phone call where Deri allegedly yelled at the spiritual leader, deeply offending him and prompting him to question the respect shown to Torah scholars.