Shas Council to Review Aryeh Deri Resignation Request After Election Setback
The Shas Council of Torah Sages will review party leader Aryeh Deri's request to resign following a heavy defeat in the 26th Knesset elections, where the party dropped to six mandates amid internal party divisions and mounting political pressure.
The Council of Torah Sages of the Shas party is set to convene in a private residence to formally review party leader Aryeh Deri's request to step down from political life. The dramatic gathering follows preliminary consultations between Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef and the senior member of the council, Rabbi Moshe Maya, after which council members spoke with Deri and urged him to attend the meeting. In response, Deri confirmed he will appear before the Torah sages and requested the opportunity to present his arguments.
The political upheaval within Shas comes in the wake of the party's severe setback in the elections for the 26th Knesset, where its representation dropped significantly to just six mandates. Following the official election results, sources close to Deri indicated that he has been isolating at home, hinting to associates about his desire to leave his post and conveying that he feels exhausted and lacks the energy to continue leading the party after the heavy defeat at the ballot box.
Against the backdrop of these developments, rabbis and senior Shas officials visited Deri's home to mount a pressure campaign aimed at convincing him to reverse his intentions. Meanwhile, voices in other rabbinical circles have begun calling for his removal, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly stepped in to defend him.
Views within Shas remain divided regarding the seriousness of Deri's intended departure. On one hand, a senior party source emphasized that despite deep disappointment over the results, Deri maintains absolute control over all party institutions and has no genuine intention of leaving or succumbing to public and rabbinical pressure. According to this source, his firm grip on the party's mechanisms ensures his political standing remains solid.
On the other hand, other party figures sharply criticized the chairman's conduct, arguing that his threats of resignation and seclusion are merely a replay of his 2014 political maneuver designed to prompt supporters to beg him to stay. These critics asserted that instead of waiting for pleas, Deri must take leadership responsibility for the loss of mandates, bluntly calling on him to stop threatening to resign and simply step down.
