Rabbi Landau's office: :Gafni and Maklev Ousted as Degel HaTorah Shakes Up Its Leadership

 In one of the most dramatic political shake-ups in Israel's ultra-Orthodox community in years, the leadership of Degel HaTorah, the Lithuanian faction within United Torah Judaism, has decided to remove two of its most senior politicians, MK Moshe Gafni and MK Uri Maklev, from the party's Knesset list ahead of the upcoming elections.

The decision was announced Saturday night following a move by Rabbi Dov Landau, the senior spiritual leader of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community.

Gafni, who has served in the Knesset continuously since 1988 and is one of Israel's longest-serving lawmakers, will not seek another term on the Degel HaTorah list. Maklev, another veteran lawmaker, will also leave the parliamentary lineup.

The move is expected to elevate MK Yaakov Asher to the top position on the party's list and represents a major transfer of political power within the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox leadership.

Rabbi Landau Announces the Change

According to the official message issued from Rabbi Landau's office, the rabbi personally contacted Gafni and Maklev in letters and thanked them for their years of public service.

The message praised the two lawmakers for acting in "complete obedience" to the Torah leadership and for their efforts on behalf of yeshiva students.

But Landau also informed them that the time had come for a "refreshing" of the parliamentary ranks, effectively ending their tenure in the Knesset.

The language of the announcement was deliberately respectful. Rather than presenting the decision as a disciplinary dismissal, the party leadership framed it as a generational transition and an effort to introduce new representatives.

Yet political sources say the reasons behind the move are considerably deeper.

The Draft Law Crisis

At the center of the political dispute is the unresolved issue of military conscription for ultra-Orthodox men.

For months, the draft issue has been one of the most explosive questions within Israel's governing coalition and the ultra-Orthodox parties.

Gafni has traditionally been identified with a pragmatic political approach, seeking to preserve the relationship between the ultra-Orthodox parties and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government while attempting to secure legislation protecting yeshiva students from military service.

In recent months, however, frustration has grown within the ultra-Orthodox community over the failure to achieve a satisfactory long-term arrangement.

Reports on the internal struggle indicate that the inability of the political leadership to resolve the conscription crisis contributed significantly to the pressure on Gafni and Maklev.

The issue has become particularly sensitive as Israel faces mounting military demands and continued debate over the participation of ultra-Orthodox men in national service.

A Victory for the Hard-Line Camp

The removal of Gafni and Maklev is widely being interpreted as a victory for the more hard-line camp surrounding Rabbi Dov Landau.

Political reporting suggests that the change is intended not merely to replace two veteran politicians but to alter the political direction of Degel HaTorah.

Yaakov Asher, who is expected to become the new leader of the list, is regarded as closer to the current rabbinical leadership and is expected to represent a more assertive position toward the government on the draft issue.

The shift could therefore have consequences extending well beyond the composition of the party's Knesset list.

It could affect the stability of Netanyahu's coalition and the political negotiations surrounding the ultra-Orthodox draft.

A Power Struggle Behind the Scenes

The formal explanation is "refreshing the ranks."

But reports from inside the ultra-Orthodox political system point to a much broader struggle for control over Degel HaTorah.

At the center of the dispute are competing rabbinical households and political operators seeking to determine the future direction of the party.

Several reports have linked the struggle to the growing influence of political operative David Shapira and to tensions between different centers of authority within the Lithuanian community.

That internal struggle helps explain why the decision has generated such intense attention inside the ultra-Orthodox political establishment.

The question is not simply who will replace Gafni and Maklev.

It is who will control Degel HaTorah after they are gone.

The End of an Era for Moshe Gafni

Gafni's departure marks the end of an extraordinary parliamentary career.

First elected in 1988, he became one of the most experienced politicians in the Knesset and served for years as chairman of the powerful Knesset Finance Committee.

He played a central role in negotiating budgets, coalition agreements and economic legislation affecting the ultra-Orthodox community.

His influence extended far beyond the size of his party.

At various points, Gafni was one of the most important intermediaries between the ultra-Orthodox leadership and successive Israeli governments.

His departure therefore represents more than the retirement of another veteran politician.

It marks the end of an era in the political representation of the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox community.

Maklev Also Leaves the Parliamentary Stage

Uri Maklev's departure is equally significant.

A veteran member of Degel HaTorah, Maklev has been one of the party's most prominent representatives in the Knesset and has been closely associated with its parliamentary work on transportation, infrastructure and social issues.

His removal alongside Gafni indicates that the move is not simply an attempt to replace one party chairman.

It is a broader restructuring of the parliamentary leadership.

Yaakov Asher Emerges as the New Power Center

With Gafni leaving the political arena, Yaakov Asher is expected to assume the leading position on the Degel HaTorah list.

Asher, a former mayor of Bnei Brak and veteran Knesset member, is regarded as close to the current rabbinical leadership.

His expected promotion could give Rabbi Landau's camp significantly greater influence over the party's parliamentary operation.

The change could also create a more unified line between the party's rabbinical leadership and its parliamentary representatives.

What Happens to United Torah Judaism?

The immediate question is whether the shake-up in Degel HaTorah will affect the broader United Torah Judaism alliance.

United Torah Judaism is an electoral alliance between Degel HaTorah and the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael faction.

For now, reports indicate that no comparable change is expected on the Agudat Yisrael side.

Its leading politicians, including Yitzhak Goldknopf, Yisrael Eichler, Meir Porush and Yaakov Tesler, are expected to retain their positions, barring further developments.

This means that the internal balance between the two factions could change significantly.

Netanyahu Faces a New Ultra-Orthodox Leadership

The political consequences could be substantial for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Gafni has long been an important interlocutor between the ultra-Orthodox parties and the government.

His replacement by a leadership perceived as more closely aligned with Rabbi Landau's harder line could make coalition negotiations more difficult.

The draft issue is particularly explosive.

If the new leadership takes a tougher position against government proposals that do not satisfy the ultra-Orthodox leadership, Netanyahu could face renewed political pressure from within his coalition.

At the same time, the new leadership may demand stronger guarantees before agreeing to support government legislation or budgets.

From "Refresh" to Political Revolution?

The official explanation is modest: a need to refresh the parliamentary ranks.

But the political significance of the decision is much larger.

The removal of two veteran politicians who collectively represent decades of parliamentary experience suggests a deliberate attempt to reshape Degel HaTorah.

The central question is whether this is simply a generational transition — or the beginning of a fundamental change in the political strategy of Israel's Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox leadership.

The evidence increasingly points to the latter.

The draft crisis, the struggle between competing rabbinical centers and the desire to consolidate control over the party have converged at precisely the same moment.

A New Chapter for Degel HaTorah

For Gafni and Maklev, the decision closes a major chapter in their political careers.

For Degel HaTorah, however, it opens an uncertain new one.

The party is preparing for an election without the politician who has represented it in the Knesset continuously since the late 1980s.

And with Yaakov Asher expected to lead the parliamentary list, the balance of power inside the Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox establishment is shifting.

The message from the rabbinical leadership is clear: Degel HaTorah is entering a new era — one that is likely to be more assertive on the draft issue, more closely controlled by its spiritual leadership and potentially more difficult for Netanyahu's government to manage.