Yitzhak Yosef Seeks to Oust Aryeh Deri After Shas Defeat

Spiritual leader Yitzhak Yosef is taking steps to remove Aryeh Deri from his position as chairman of the Shas party following a poor performance in the October 28, 2026, Knesset elections. Shas saw its representation drop from 11 seats in 2022 to between six and seven seats, marking one of its worst results since 1992 and allowing United Torah Judaism to overtake the party in seat distribution.

Yosef intends to convene the Council of Torah Sages to discuss the results and seek the council's chairmanship to facilitate Deri's replacement. The internal conflict is driven by accusations that Deri miscalculated competition and alienated the traditional ultra-Orthodox voter base. Former Shas minister Shlomo Benizri attributed the loss to Deri's failure to resolve Haredi military conscription issues and an overly close alignment with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

While Deri initially dismissed exit polls as discrepant, he later considered resigning as senior party officials and rabbinical leaders attempted to persuade him to stay to project unity. Some party insiders suggest the resignation threat is a tactic to secure a fresh mandate of support. The leadership struggle is further complicated by disagreements over military exemptions, which Deri had demanded as a condition for joining the next government.