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Wednesday, November 4, 2026
4-member Degel HaTorah faction of UTJ declines to endorse prime minister candidate
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleAriela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.
The Degel HaTorah faction of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party announces that it will not recommend any candidate for prime minister during consultations with President Isaac Herzog, following instructions from its spiritual leaders, Rabbis Dov Lando and Moshe Hillel Hirsch.
Degel HaTorah, which represents the so-called Lithuanian faction of Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox Jews, holds four of UTJ’s seven Knesset seats, including party chairman MK Yaakov Asher. The remaining three lawmakers belong to Agudat Yisrael, which represents Hasidic Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox Jews.
Degel HaTorah’s abstention is significant because UTJ is a longtime ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but has broken with him over the outgoing coalition’s failure to pass a law enshrining IDF service exemptions for Haredi men.
It remains unclear whether Agudat Yisrael will recommend Netanyahu or also abstain. UTJ is scheduled to meet with Herzog tomorrow as part of his consultations with parties on whom to task with forming the next government.
Either way, Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot now holds a clear lead in recommendations after the Arab-led Ra’am party announced earlier today that its eight incoming lawmakers would back him, bringing his total to 56 seats compared to Netanyahu’s 49 following Degel HaTorah’s announcement.
That raises the chances that Eisenkot will get the first chance to form a government.
The Times of Israel Community.