Shas

Israel Election 2026: What do Arye Deri's Shas and Yaakov Asher's United Torah Judaism stand for?

"If I put this ballot in the box, what government, policies, and political reality am I helping create?"

Shas leader MK Arye Deri (L) and United Torah Judaism leader MK Ya’akov Asher.
Benjamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett.

Israeli polls split on 2026 Knesset election possibilities, as Yashar, Likud vie for primacy - poll

Former IDF chief of staff Benny Gantz leads Blue and White, which is polling below the electoral threshold.

Parties finalize Knesset slates before deadline as Gantz’s Blue and White runs alone despite polls

Shas chairman Arye Deri attends a vote at the plenum hall of the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 16, 2026.

Shas leader Arye Deri claims IDF prefers secular army, haredi soldiers are 'a big headache'


Government submits 2026 budget to Knesset, Smotrich vows passage despite rifts

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that the government was "determined to pass it [the state budget] on first reading,” during a press conference at the Knesset on Monday.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich after a press conference at the ministry, December 4, 2025; illustrative.

Netanyahu to appoint UTJ’s Yisrael Eichler to gov’t role to pass contentious haredi draft bill

The move will reportedly allow Yitzhak Pindrus, from the Degel Hatorah faction, to return to the Knesset as well, after he had previously been pushed off the United Torah Judaism Party list.

MK Yisrael Eichler arrives for a meeting of the Council of Torah Sages regarding the Haredi draft exemption bill in Jerusalem, January 7, 2026.

IDF draft equality is minimum condition to restore Israeli solidarity - editorial

The Israel-Hamas War did not only take bodies; it took spirit. It took marriages, jobs, sleep, and the sense that someone competent is steering.

MK Boaz Bismuth seen with haredi MKs and Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer in the Knesset, Jerusalem, January 14, 2026.

Ultra-Orthodox sages convene on haredi IDF draft bill, withhold official stance

The rabbis reportedly did not reach a decision on the matter; however, they allegedly decided internally to reject the sanctions imposed on draft evaders.

Rabbi Yaakov Aryeh Alter, head of the Gur hassidic dynasty,  seen after a meeting of the Council of Torah Sages regarding the haredi draft exemption bill in Jerusalem, January 7, 2026.

Millions transferred to haredi schools without Knesset approval, state admits to court

During the hearing, a state representative acknowledged that a significant portion of the funds had already been transferred prior to the Finance Committee discussion.

Opposition head Yair Lapid arrives for a court hearing at the Supreme Court on a petition against the transfer of funds to ultra-Orthodox educational institutions, January 8, 2026

Knesset rejects Yesh Atid bill to nationalize KKL, Lapid accuses rivals of 'corruption'

Lapid cited systemic corruption “of the worst kind” as the reason for leaving.

Opposition leader Yair Lapid leads a Yesh Atid meeting at the Knesset, Jerusalem, November 17, 2025.

From yellow badges to ‘extermination ovens’: Toxic rhetoric of haredi draft protests - editorial

The latest affront occurred on Sunday when UTJ chairperson Yitzhak Goldknopf compared enforcing yeshiva students’ conscription to “placing a yellow badge on them.”

Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) protesters gather in Mea She'arim, Jerusalem, to celebrate draft dodgers' release from miiltary prison, November 30, 2025; illustrative.

Shas threatens to vote down 2026 state budget if haredi draft law not passed

Without the support of Shas lawmakers, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government could lack the votes needed to pass the budget.

 Shas faction meeting in the Israeli parliament on December 8, 2025.

High Court to hear two cases blocking haredi education funds amid legal disputes

Supreme Court Justice Yael Willner ordered that hearings in both cases be held by January 8, and instructed the parties to submit preliminary responses up to 24 hours beforehand.

Supreme Court justices preside over a hearing at the High Court of Justice in Jerusalem, December 1, 2025

High Court freezes NIS 1b. haredi education transfer over recovery concerns

The petition was filed by opposition head and Yesh Atid chairman Yair Lapid, together with party lawmakers, against budget transfers approved by the Knesset Finance Committee.

Haredi protesters block Highway 4 near Bnei Brak during a protest denouncing the IDF draft, December 28, 2025.