Historical shift: Degel HaTorah to demand a ministerial position in the next government

Degel HaTorah is expected to demand ministerial positions in the next government. The decision marks a historical shift, as for decades its members refrained from demanding ministerial roles based on a minority perception.

The decision was made by Rabbi Dov Landau, leader of the Lithuanian public, who instructed that from now on the party will demand the Education or Construction and Housing portfolios. The significant move is expected to change the balance of power in the Haredi sector, as until now only Agudat Yisrael held government ministries.

Senior party officials point to the lack of equality in the distribution of roles compared to Shas and other parties, and are awaiting the approval of the Lithuanian stream's rabbis. According to sources familiar with the details, receiving this approval and integrating into government ministries could cause a significant political earthquake in the status of Degel HaTorah.

Recall that last May, the rabbis of the Lithuanian public gathered to decide whether to dissolve the Knesset, following the publication that Shas chairman Aryeh Deri asked Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to promote the draft exemption law until the elections. Shortly after the discussion began, Degel HaTorah Knesset members were summoned to Rabbi Landau. At the meeting, they reviewed the political situation regarding the exemption law, and in response, the Rabbi said:

"We no longer have trust in Netanyahu. From now on, we will only do what is good for Haredi Judaism and the world of yeshivas. We must act to dissolve the Knesset as soon as possible. The concept of a 'bloc' no longer exists for us."

Degel HaTorah Knesset members presented Rabbi Landau with a list of opponents to the law among coalition members, which reduces the number of supporters to only 60: Yitzhak Goldknopf, Yaakov Tessler, and Meir Porush (United Torah Judaism), Yuli Edelstein and Dan Illouz (Likud), Sharren Haskel (National Right), Ofir Sofer and Moshe Solomon (Religious Zionism).

A week earlier, Netanyahu approached the Haredi parties and promised them that it was still possible to pass the draft exemption law, while the leader of the Lithuanian public, Rabbi Landau, was debating whether to give up on the law in the current term. It was also reported that in order to reduce the reputational damage of mass draft evasion during wartime, Netanyahu is looking for a reservist figure to include in the Likud list.