Gafni’s ouster marks a changing era for Israel’s haredi parties - and for Netanyahu - analysis
By pushing Gafni out of the next Knesset, the party's rabbinic leadership has served notice that Netanyahu will have to win the haredim back rather than simply count them in.
Moshe Gafni, the Knesset's longest-serving Member of Parliament, has been removed from Degel Hatorah's Knesset slate, marking a changing era for Israel's haredi parties and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Gafni, who first entered the Knesset in 1988, has been a power broker and kingmaker for nearly 38 years, symbolizing the disproportionate influence that haredi parties have had over Israel's political system.
As the country approaches the upcoming election, several opposition parties have made military or national service for all a central condition for joining the next government, potentially signaling the end of this era. Gafni's departure, alongside Uri Maklev, is seen as a change of guard, not only for Degel Hatorah but also for the traditional haredi parliamentary approach.
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