Shas Party Finalizes Knesset List with New Faces and Incumbents

The Shas party announced Tuesday that its Council of Torah Sages has approved the party's slate for the 26th Knesset. Incumbent Knesset members will retain their positions, serving "with dedication and loyalty," alongside new additions to the list. Among the new candidates is Dror Amos, a lieutenant colonel in the reserves.

Party chairman Aryeh Deri will continue to lead the list. Yנון Azulai is positioned second, followed by Michael Malchieli in third place. This represents a significant advancement for both Azulai, who was seventh in the previous election, and Malchieli, who was fourth.

The full list includes Aryeh Deri, Yנון Azulai, Michael Malchieli, Yoav Ben-Tzur, Haim Biton, Dror Amos, Moshe Abutbul, Uriel Buso, Yosef Tayeb, Yonatan Mashriki, Yosef Elnatonov, Erez Malul, and Simon Mushaivili.

The list was finalized after discussions by the Council of Torah Sages ahead of the deadline for submitting party slates, which is today. While there were expectations of significant changes and concerns among some current Knesset members about their placements, the decision was made not to remove several incumbent lawmakers. This contrasts with the decision by the United Torah Judaism party, where Rabbi Landau removed MKs Gafni and Maklev from their positions.