Full Breakdown
Shakeup in United Torah Judaism: Veteran MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev Ousted Ahead of October Election
9/8/2026, 11:09:56 PM
Core Event: Veteran Lawmakers Removed from UTJ Slate
Late on Saturday night, the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism (UTJ) party announced that longtime Knesset members Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev will not appear on its slate for the October 27 election. The decision was conveyed in a letter from Rabbi Dov Lando, the 96-year-old spiritual leader of the Lithuanian Haredi community that backs Degel HaTorah, one of UTJ’s two factions.
Background & Context
Gafni entered the Knesset in 1988 and has served almost continuously for close to 38 years; Maklev joined in 2008. UTJ, a coalition of Degel HaTorah and Agudat Yisrael, has leveraged its pivotal position to secure state budgets for yeshiva students and exemptions from military service.
Recent failure to pass a draft-exemption bill intensified an internal dispute: Gafni and Maklev have favored dialogue with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while Lando’s allies pressed for a more confrontational stance on the draft and other religion-state matters.
Timeline
- July 10 2023 – UTJ MKs Moshe Gafni and Yakov Asher attend a faction meeting at the Knesset.
- September 8 – Deadline for parties to submit final candidate lists for the October 27 election.
- Late Saturday night (early September) – Rabbi Lando’s letter announces removal of Gafni and Maklev.
- October 27 – Israeli parliamentary election.
Key Figures & Groups
- Moshe Gafni – Veteran MK, former Degel HaTorah chairman.
- Uri Maklev – MK since 2008, senior Degel HaTorah figure.
- Rabbi Dov Lando – 96-year-old leading rabbinic authority.
- Yaakov Asher – Expected to replace Gafni as Degel HaTorah chairman.
- David Shapira – Grandson of Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman, close confidant of Lando.
- Benjamin Netanyahu – Prime minister, whose coalition relies on Haredi support.
Data & Statistics
- Gafni first elected 1988; served nearly 38 years.
- Maklev entered the Knesset in 2008.
- UTJ polls at seven seats and has historically held the balance of power.
- The failed draft-exemption bill would have protected thousands of yeshiva students.
Official Statements & Responses
David Shapira is reported to have led calls for a “harder line against the government” and to have advocated replacing Gafni with a figure closer to Lando.
Potential replacements under consideration include Bnei Brak deputy mayor Menachem Shapira, Modi’in Illit mayor Yaakov Gutterman, and Jerusalem deputy mayor Lazer Rauchberger.
Why It Matters / Impact
The removal of Gafni, a long-standing conduit between the Lithuanian Haredi leadership and Netanyahu’s Likud, deprives the prime minister of a key ally in negotiations over the draft exemption. The leadership change may signal a willingness to reposition UTJ as a swing vote, especially if anti-Netanyahu parties approach the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government.
Analysts note that the failure to secure draft-exemption legislation reflects growing public frustration with perceived inequity in the conscription system, a factor that could reshape coalition dynamics.
Criticism & Opposition
Political analyst Amotz Asa-El of the Shalom Hartman Institute warned that Netanyahu’s concessions to ultra-Orthodox parties on draft exemptions have “further alienated his traditional supporters,” underscoring the political risk of relying on a bloc whose influence may be waning.
