DistantNews
Support us
🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Gafni and Maklev to Leave Knesset as Degel HaTorah Refreshes Its Lineup

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • Degel HaTorah’s spiritual leader, Rabbi Dov Lando, said lawmakers Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev would leave the Knesset as the faction refreshes its parliamentary presence.
  • Lando asked Gafni to remain chairman of the ultra-Orthodox faction.
  • The two lawmakers have been prominent advocates of the Basic Law: Torah Study and the party’s opposition to the haredi conscription bill.

Rabbi Dov Lando, the spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah faction, has asked two senior lawmakers to leave the Knesset as the ultra-Orthodox party seeks to “refresh” its presence in parliament.

refresh

· Rabbi Dov LandoLando cited the need to refresh Degel HaTorah’s presence in the Knesset as the reason for the departures.

Lando sent letters to faction leader Moshe Gafni and party member Uri Maklev thanking them for their years of service, Lando’s office said Saturday night. He also asked Gafni to remain chairman of Degel HaTorah after his departure from the Knesset.

as soon as possible

· Rabbi Dov LandoLando called for steps to dissolve the Knesset over the haredi conscription bill.

Lando, Gafni and the faction have made headlines in recent months over their support for the contentious Basic Law: Torah Study. The bill declares that “Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.” It passed its final reading in July by 63 votes to 52. Israel has no constitution, relying instead on a set of Knesset-enacted basic laws with high legal status.

We no longer have trust in Benjamin Netanyahu.

· Rabbi Dov LandoLando described the faction’s loss of confidence in the prime minister.

In May, Lando authorized Degel HaTorah lawmakers to work toward dissolving the Knesset “as soon as possible” over the haredi conscription bill. He wrote that the party no longer trusted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and would act only in the interests of haredi Judaism and the yeshiva world. The move followed reports of a crisis between Gafni and Netanyahu’s office after the prime minister said there was no coalition majority to pass the draft law.

From this point onward, we will do only what is good for haredi Judaism and the yeshiva world.

· Rabbi Dov LandoLando outlined the faction’s stated priority after its dispute with the government.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog