United Torah Judaism declines to endorse candidate for prime minister in Herzog consultations

By Ariela Karmel

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Ariela 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.

President Isaac Herzog meets with representatives of United Torah Judaism during consultations on the formation of the government, following the election for the 26th Knesset, on November 5, 2026. (Hillel Ben Or/Office of the President)

The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party declines to recommend any candidate for prime minister during consultations with President Isaac Herzog, withholding its support from longtime ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The decision comes after both factions of the seven-seat party — Degel HaTorah, which represents Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox Jews and holds four seats, and Agudat Yisrael, which represents Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Jews and holds three — were instructed by their respective spiritual leaders not to endorse a candidate.

UTJ’s decision leaves Yashar leader Gadi Eisenkot with a clear lead in recommendations, with the backing of 56 lawmakers after Ra’am declared that its eight lawmakers would recommend him, compared to Netanyahu’s now 46, as Herzog continues consultations before deciding whom to task with forming the next government.

The decision follows reports last week that the party was considering offering support to a minority government led by Eisenkot without formally joining his government, marking a break in the party’s longtime alliance with Netanyahu, out of frustration with him for not yet passing legislation it has long demanded to enshrine military service exemptions for yeshiva students.

During the consultations, UTJ representatives make clear that their support for any future government will depend on legislation preserving those exemptions.

The demand poses a major obstacle to potential cooperation with Eisenkot and his bloc, who have made drafting the ultra-Orthodox a central priority, though Eisenkot and others in his bloc have recently stopped short of ruling out cooperation with Haredi parties.