Gafni, Maklev to leave Knesset as ultra-Orthodox Degel HaTorah party refreshes lineup

Lando cited the need to "refresh" the party's presence in the Knesset as the reason for the two members' departures and requested that Gafni remain the party's chairman. 

Rabbi Dov Lando, spiritual leader of the Degel HaTorah faction of the ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party, sent letters to MK Moshe Gafni, the faction's Knesset leader, and party member Rabbi Uri Maklev, thanking them for their years of service as they prepare to leave the Knesset, Lando's office said Saturday night.

Lando cited the need to "refresh" the party's presence in the Knesset as the reason for the two members' departures and requested that Gafni remain the party's chairman.

The contentious haredi-backed bill to enshrine Torah study in Israel's Basic Law

Lando, Gafni, and the Degel HaTorah faction have largely made headlines in recent months through their advocacy for the contentious Basic Law: Torah Study bill.

The bill states that “Torah study is a fundamental value in the heritage of the Jewish people and in the State of Israel.” Israel does not have a constitution. Instead, it has a series of Knesset-legislated basic laws on various subjects that hold a high legal status.

In July, the bill passed in its final reading with 63 lawmakers in favor and 52 against.

Lando gives green light for Degel Hatorah to disband gov't over draft law

In May, as the haredi parties were working to get the bill through the legislature, Lando issued a statement allowing his party members to work toward dissolving the Knesset “as soon as possible” over the haredi conscription bill, a move that would have triggered early elections.

Lando had written in a letter to Degel Hatorah Knesset members that “We no longer have trust in [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu.

“From this point onward, we will do only what is good for haredi Judaism and the yeshiva world.”
“Steps must be taken to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible. All kinds of talk about a ‘bloc’ no longer exist,” the letter added.

Lando’s letter came after it was reported that United Torah Judaism, the haredi party in which Degel Hatorah is a faction, threatened to immediately move to dissolve the Knesset after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed party representatives that there is no coalition majority to pass the controversial haredi conscription bill, according to a Tuesday KAN News report.

The report added that the announcement led to a crisis between Degel Hatorah chairman Moshe Gafni and Netanyahu’s office, causing Gafni to refuse calls from the prime minister.

Opposition parties Yesh Atid, Yisrael Beytenu, the Democrats, and Ra’am subsequently stated that they favored introducing a bill to dissolve the Knesset, although this ultimately did not occur.