DIN: I believe they were removed because they were not radical enough for Rav Landau ... and Gafni & Maklev wanted to back Netanyahu while Rav Landau would sit even with Arabs!
MKs Moshe Gafni and Uri Maklev were left stunned after being formally informed that they will not be included on Degel HaTorah’s Knesset slate in the upcoming election, with associates of the veteran lawmakers claiming that as recently as two weeks ago they were receiving messages from the homes of the Gedolei Yisrael indicating that everything would continue as usual.
Bechadrei Charedim reports that during consultations held by the two MKs toward the end of the week, there was a feeling that they had successfully fended off efforts to remove them. Their associates are now describing what happened as an extraordinary “deception,” arguing that two highly regarded lawmakers who served the party for decades and brought it considerable respect were abruptly pushed aside.
Other Degel HaTorah officials offered a sharply different account. “Gafni could have ended his tenure like a king and taken another position in the party,” they said. “But the people around him, who disconnected him from the public in recent years, advised him to launch a campaign against his removal, which ended in humiliation.”
The final decision came on Motzei Shabbos, when Rosh Yeshiva Harav Dov Landau sent personal letters to Gafni and Maklev informing them that they would not continue serving in the Knesset as part of an effort to refresh Degel HaTorah’s parliamentary representation.
Harav Landau emphasized the tremendous appreciation for Gafni and Maklev’s work over the years, which they said was carried out in complete obedience to the Gedolei Yisrael. Particular recognition was given to their dedicated and loyal battle on behalf of the status of bnei yeshivos. Despite their removal from the Knesset slate, Harav Landau asked Gafni to remain chairman of the national Degel HaTorah party.
Behind the scenes, negotiations over the new slate continued until Shabbos and resumed immediately afterward as the respective rabbinic homes work toward an agreement ahead of Tuesday’s deadline for finalizing the lists.
Yaakov Asher, considered Harav Landau’s representative, and Yitzchak Pindrus, considered Harav Moshe Hillel Hirsch’s representative, are expected to remain. Moshe Rosenthal, who holds the education portfolio in the Bnei Brak municipality, is being discussed as another representative of Harav Landau.
No final decision has yet been reached in Harav Hirsch’s home regarding its additional candidate. One name under consideration is Yehuda Weissfish, CEO of “HaIchud,” who is close to the Rosh Yeshiva. Discussions are continuing, with the final composition of Degel HaTorah’s new Knesset slate expected to become clear ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
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