Shas head Arye Deri withdraws from party list, will not be in 26th Knesset

Head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, Arye Deri, announced Sunday that he would withdraw from the party list and would not be a member of the 26th Knesset.

The move means Deri will no longer serve as a member of Knesset, but will retain his position as Shas's political leader, continuing to oversee the party's direction and coalition negotiations.

His resignation will also allow the next eligible candidate on Shas's electoral list to enter the Knesset in his place.

The announcement comes days after the Shas Council of Torah Sages rejected Deri’s request to step down as party leader on Wednesday, following the party’s heavy losses in last month’s election.

Shas won just six seats, down from 11 in the outgoing Knesset, its weakest result in more than two decades.

Shas rabbis initally reject Deri’s resignation request

Shas had initially denied reports that Deri had submitted a resignation letter, rejecting claims that he had formally announced he was leaving either the Knesset or the party leadership.

In a letter last Wednesday, the council said it had “heard with great sorrow” Deri’s request and would “forbid him from leaving his position in the movement.

“We are confident that he will fulfill the will of the sages, as he has always done,” the letter said.

Deri said he accepted the council’s “unequivocal directive” and would remain in his post. “I accept it without hesitation or reservation, and thank the rabbis for the trust and support they have given me throughout the way,” he said.