Shas Party Unveils Knesset List with New Faces and Key Promotions

The Shas party announced its list of candidates for the 26th Knesset on Tuesday, featuring two new names and significant shifts in placement. Party leader Aryeh Deri remains at the top of the list. MK Yinon Azulai has been promoted from seventh to second place. Former ministers Michael Malchieli, Yoav Ben-Tzur, and Haim Biton are positioned at third, fourth, and fifth, respectively. Reserve Major Dror Amos, currently head of the Haifa Religious Council, is placed sixth. Other notable candidates include Moshe Abutbul, Uriel Buso, Yosi Tayeb, Yonatan Mashriki, Yosef Elnatanov (representing the Bukharan community), Erez Malul, and Simon Mushiashvili. The list reflects Shas's aim for renewal, with younger members advancing to higher positions.

Party leader Deri recently convened the Council of Torah Sages to discuss the Knesset roster. Some current Knesset members, like Yoav Ben-Tzur and former Deputy Minister Moshe Abutbul, expressed concern about their positions and sought clarification from the rabbis. Ben-Tzur moved down one spot compared to the previous list, while Abutbul rose to seventh. Azulai, now second, previously served as Shas's Knesset faction chairman and was a prominent member of the Finance and Foreign Affairs and Defense committees, where he voiced the party's stance on the conscription of Haredim (ultra-Orthodox Jews), suggesting that those not studying should enlist.

Dror David Amos, a reserve major with over 25 years of service in the IDF's Logistics Corps, has a background in management and command. Post-military, he founded and chaired the "Hesed Chaim V'Emet" association supporting bereaved families and has led the Haifa Religious Council for the past 18 months, initiating changes in religious services. Yosef Elnatanov, at 11th place, manages the "Beit Yosef" Talmud Torah in Holon and serves as rabbi for a synagogue and a rabbinical court.

The party also acknowledged the departure of former ministers Yaakov Margi and Moshe Arbel, who will not seek re-election. The Council of Torah Sages thanked them for their service. Meanwhile, the Joint List is expected to submit its candidates by 6 PM, headed by Professor Yousef Jabareen (Hadash), followed by Ahmad Tibi (Ta'al) and Sami Abu Shehadeh (Balad). Jaafar Farah withdrew from the Joint List's fourth position following allegations of sexual harassment, with Dr. Faten Ghattas replacing him. The allegations against Farah, dating back to 2019, were reported by "Women Against Violence" and "A-Swar - Arab Feminist Movement."