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From the Liveblog of
Saturday, September 5, 2026
From the Liveblog of
Saturday, September 5, 2026
Veteran Haredi MK Moshe Gafni reportedly replaced as chief of Degel HaTorah faction
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MK Moshe Gafni in the Knesset, June 3, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
Veteran Degel HaTorah lawmaker Moshe Gafni is out as the leader of Degel HaTorah, according to Hebrew media outlets citing an on-background briefing to reporters.
Degel HaTorah is a subfaction of the Ashkenazi Haredi United Torah Judaism party and linked to the so-called Lithuanian stream of non-Hasidic ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
The reports say that as part of the shakeup, MK Uri Maklev will also not run in the upcoming election and that MK Ya’akov Asher will replace Gafni as faction leader. The reported move means Asher will also become chairman of UTJ, taking over for MK Yitzhak Goldknopf of the Hasidic Agudat Yisrael, due to the leadership rotation agreement between the two factions.
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